Filmmaker Sean Penn will be the first major Hollywood director to broach the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, with Bradley Cooper reportedly in talks to lead the film.
Penn’s yet-to-be-titled project follows the life of a police officer who finds himself swept into the chaos at the U.S. Capitol, according to Deadline. Yet the film’s future is uncertain as Warner Bros., which has agreed to purchase it, is set to merge with Paramount Skydance. Paramount CEO David Ellison has previously taken steps to ingratiate himself with President Donald Trump.
While most details about the film are still unknown, Penn has a well-documented interest in the Jan. 6 riot. The three-time Oscar winner attended a 2022 hearing of the Jan. 6 House select committee, which then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) established to investigate the incident.
Penn told reporters at the event that he was “just here to observe” as “a citizen.” He also said he attended as a guest of former D.C. police officer Michael Fanone. Fanone, a former Trump supporter, was knocked unconscious after rioters beat him and shocked him with a Taser.
Penn has previously referred to Trump as an “enemy of compassion” and “the tough guy who never was.” While Cooper has not been as vocal about politics, he did attend the 2016 Democratic National Convention. The American Sniper star received criticism from conservative social media at the time, though he insisted he was only there to hear then-President Barack Obama speak.
The Department of Justice announced last week that it would not challenge an impending merger between Warner Bros., the film’s studio, and Paramount Skydance. That $111 billion deal would hand control of the studio to Paramount CEO David Ellison.
Ellison and his father, technology titan Larry Ellison, have strong ties to Trump. Since taking control of CBS News in August 2025, the younger Ellison has taken multiple steps that have further ingratiated himself with Trump, including installing new editorial leadership at the outlet.
PENTAGON HIRES ‘QUALIFIED, PATRIOTIC’ JAN. 6 RIOTER FOR COUNTERTERRORISM ROLE
The film is set to begin production as Trump moves to eliminate any legal blemishes on those who participated in the riot. Jan. 6 rioters walked free on the day of Trump’s 2025 inauguration, and the Department of Justice’s proposed anti-weaponization fund could provide payouts to those involved.
Production for the film is set to begin in mid-2027.