Washington DC, June 16 -- Actor Sean Penn is set to direct a film about the early life of a cop who was present for the January 6 storming of the United States Capitol. Bradley Cooper is being eyed for the lead role, reported Variety.

The film is currently untitled and has been set up at Warner Bros. It is described as "an unexpected story about friendship," which needs a little work as a marketing hook and seems like a clear attempt to minimise any future controversy, reported Variety.

According to the outlet, the insiders insist the film is not really about January 6 and is only tangentially related to the attacks. Despite that spin, it's unclear how this project will play with David Ellison and the team at Paramount who are poised to...