Sean Penn to Play Andrew Jackson in HBO Miniseries 'American Lion'

Sean Penn will star as US President Andrew Jackson in “American Lion,” a miniseries set to air on HBO, TheWrap has learned.

“Narcos” creators Doug Miro and Carlo Bernard are writing the series, based on Jon Meacham‘s biography, “American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House.”

The six-hour series will cover Jackson’s life, from orphan to President. Jackson’s supporters formed what would become the Democratic Party when he was first nominated for president in 1824. He lost to John Quincy Adams, but won in 1828.

Also Read: Lee Daniels Fires Back at Sean Penn in $10 Million Defamation Lawsuit

The miniseries will depict Jackson as a self-made man, a western outsider, a violent warrior and a beloved general who became the country’s first “People’s President.” With the fate of the United States uncertain, the willful and mercurial Jackson fought an intractable Congress and special interests to preserve the Union at all costs – leaving a mixed and deeply controversial legacy.

Facebook’s head of market development Matt Jacobson brought the project to HBO and Lionsgate, and will also serve as an executive producer alongside Penn, Miro and Bernard.

Penn was last seen in “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” and “The Gunman.” He is represented by CAA.

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