Variety reports Sean Penn is in talks to star in Cartel, a drama for Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment with first time dramatic feature director Asger Leth set to helm.
The film is described as a mission movie in which Penn would play Ed Marker as he journeys to protect his son after his wife is brutally murdered in the gritty world of Mexican cartels. Peter Craig penned the script, but no details are given in the Variety article as to what previous scripts he worked on.
Apparently the film began as a remake of 1993 Italian film La scorta, which followed four cops’ struggling to guard a special prosecutor trying to bring mob bosses to justice, but it has since evolved into an action vehicle for Penn.
There is no word on whether or not Penn is likely to move forward with Cartel or with Fair Game co-starring Naomi Watts and directed by Doug Liman first. Fair Game is a drama about the outing of CIA agent Valerie Plame, a story that also inspired last year’s little seen Nothing but the Truth starring Kate Beckinsale, which hits DVD on April 28.
