SEAN PLAYS GAY

Sean Penn is going to play gay political icon Harvey Milk in a new movie directed by the wonderful Gus Van Sant, Focus Features announced on film.

Often referred to as the "Mayor of Castro Street," was the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in America. In 1977, he was voted to the supervisors' board of San Francisco.

His life was cut tragically short when the following year homophobic fellow supervisor Dan White brutally murdered both Milk and then city mayor George Moscone.

Van Sant and Penn's Milk begin production in January.

This has Oscar contender for 2009 written all over it!