Writer, director, and producer Rohit Karn Batra’s The Film Compartment is partnering with Sean Penn’s Projected Picture Works (PPW) for his upcoming drama The Gun on Second Street. Ransom Films’ Guy J. Louthan will produce with Batra, and U.S. Congressman Eric Swalwell and PPW partners John Ira Palmer and John Wildermuth will executive produce. Production is scheduled to begin early June.

An allegory to gun violence in the U.S., The Gun on Second Street follows two Pittsburgh best friends and police officers who respond to a domestic violence dispute on Second Street. But when Officer TJ Meadows III accidentally shoots his partner, he is traumatized and leaves the city only to return years later, no longer a cop, and fall for his partner’s widow Kacie.

“I am thrilled to have the incredibly experienced team at Projected Picture Works join us in bringing The Gun on Second Street to screen,” said Batra. “Their passion for authentic, character-driven storytelling aligns perfectly with the film’s DNA, and I couldn’t ask for better partners in the business to executive produce and realize this film for audiences aching for incredible cinematic experiences.”

The Film Compartment marks its first production venture with The Gun on Second Street, with several other feature-length projects in development. Founded in 2021, Projected Picture Works’ recent projects include the Oscar-and Golden Globe-nominated September 5 (2024) in addition to Daddio (2023), Asphalt City (2023), and Superpower (2023).

“We’re pleased to be a part of The Gun on Second Street,” said PPW’s Penn, Palmer, and Wildermuth in a joint statement. “We gravitate toward grounded stories about the complexities of everyday lives intertwined. Rohit’s screenplay is a great example of that, incorporating universal themes of trauma and redemption. As a director, Rohit has ambitious plans for bringing this story to life visually. We look forward to being aboard the journey.”