Sean Penn Playing Fictionalized Version of Himself in War Zone Satirical Series C*A*U*G*H*T

Publish date: 2024-09-04

Sean Penn, who was recently close to the front lines of the war in Ukraine, is playing a fictionalized version of himself in satirical Australian series “C*A*U*G*H*T.” The show is an original production for Australian streamer Stan and has now started production in Sydney’s Fox Studios.

The six-part series follows four Australian soldiers sent on a secret mission to a war-torn country. Mistaken for Americans, they are captured by freedom fighters and produce a hostage video that goes viral. When the soldiers reach celebrity status, they realize that being caught might just be the best thing that could’ve happened to them.

Related Stories

A hand holding a phone with likes and hearts VIP+

Web Traffic Patterns: Established News Brands Cede Ground to Partisan Political Upstarts  

Sterling K Brown paradise

'Paradise' Trailer: Sterling K. Brown Denies Killing President James Marsden in 'This Is Us' Creator's Hulu Drama

The series is written, directed and produced by Australian actor and film maker Kick Gurry (“Edge of Tomorrow”) who will star alongside Penn.

Popular on Variety

Penn also executive produces the show alongside producers John and Michael Schwarz (“Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan”, “Gold”) from Deeper Water Films, and Brendan Donoghue. The series is produced in association with Fremantle which will handle international distribution.

“Kick’s brand of irreverence is so charged by an enthusiasm for all things considered inappropriate. From ball-sacks, to fame, idiots and intellectuals, and finally to that creepy-crawly continuum of war,” said Penn in a statement. “ ‘C*A*U*G*H*T’ captures the comedy that is generally confined to fox holes.”

Penn was in Ukraine for several weeks between February and April this year, filming a documentary about Russia’s invasion of the country. During that period, he met Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has used online media appearances to woo global opinion and gather support for a battle of resistance.

Also joining the cast of ‘C*A*U*G*H*T’ is Matthew Fox (“Lost,” “Last Light”), and an extensive Australian cast including Bella Heathcote (“Pieces of Her”), Erik Thomson (“Black Snow”), Ben O’Toole ( “Detroit”), Lincoln Younes (“Last King of the Cross”),  Fayssal Bazzi (“Stateless”) and veteran Bryan Brown.

The series will stream on Stan in Australia and the U.K’s new streaming service ITVX in 2023.

Read More About:

Jump to Comments

More from Variety

Most Popular

Must Read

Sign Up for Variety Newsletters

By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy.We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. // This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Variety Confidential

A Variety and iHeartRadio Podcast

ncG1vNJzZmiukae2psDYZ5qopV9nfXN%2BjqCjqJqRoXyvsdasZqydkaN6sbHNp2SwmaJiwKLAyKucZmliaIJ0hY9vbGpn