Hollywood
Oscar winner Sean Penn tackles political thrillers
Sean Penn at the Cannes Film Festival. photo
© Valery Hache/AFP/dpa
The civil war in El Salvador, the murder of four nuns and the investigations of a young US diplomat provide plenty of material for Sean Penn’s new film project.
Two-time Oscar winner Sean Penn (62, “Mystic River”, “Milk”) has an explosive political thriller in the works. With his production company Projected Picture Works, founded in 2021, the director and actor wants to bring the drama “Killers & Diplomats” to the screen, as the US trade journal “Variety” reported. The true story takes place during the civil war in El Salvador in the 1980s, after the rape and murder of four American nuns in the Central American country.
A young US diplomat investigates the crime and puts himself in danger while searching for sources. Later, soldiers of the National Guard are tried and sentenced to many years in prison. The film is based on an article by US journalist Raymond Bonner.
Penn, who most recently starred in the political series “Gaslit”, directed films such as “Into the Wild” (2007) and “Flag Day”. He is now on board as a producer on “Killers & Diplomats”. Penn is also planning a documentary about Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine. There he met with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj in the past few months.