Sean Penn Returns to Cannes for Mipcom Keynote on Wartime Satire Series ‘C*A*U*G*H*T’
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Sean Penn, whose Volodymyr Zelenskyy documentary “Superpower” recently launched on Paramount+, will be on the iconic stage of Cannes’s Grand Auditorium later this month — but it won’t be for a movie.
The Oscar winner is set to attend Mipcom, the international TV conference, alongside Matthew Fox (“Lost”) and Kick Gurry (“Edge of Tomorrow”) to discuss their wartime satire series “C*A*U*G*H*T” as part of a Media Mastermind Keynote on Oct. 18. Penn, who stars and serves as executive producer on the show, will participate in a panel discussion with Fox and Curry. The session will see them discuss ways in which the series explores themes of identity, fame and social media absurdities.
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Landing a Hollywood star like Penn is a massive coup for Mipcom, which has sought to raise its profile within a competitive landscape for industry events.
A Stan original, “C*A*U*G*H*T” follows four Australian soldiers on a covert mission in a war-torn country. Mistaken for Americans, they’re captured and produce a hostage video that goes viral, turning them into unlikely celebrities. Gurry created, wrote and directed the satirical show. He also stars in it alongside Penn and Fox.
The series’ Australian cast includes Bella Heathcote (“Pieces of Her”), Erik Thomson (“Black Snow”), Ben O’Toole ( “Detroit”), Lincoln Younes (“Last King of the Cross”), Fayssal Bazzi (“Stateless”) and Bryan Brown.
“C*A*U*G*H*T” had a successful launch on Stan and will premiere exclusively on ITVX in the U.K. from Oct 12. Fremantle is handling global rights to the six-part series. It was produced by John Schwarz at Deeper Water Films alongside Brendan Donohue and Gurry’s label, Little Bird Films. Cailah Scobie and Amanda Duthie executive produced for Stan.
“When you grow up down under in Australia, dreaming of someday telling stories on screen, Cannes holds a magical, almost mythical place in your creative heart, like Valhalla or heaven!” Gurry said in a statement.
The director continued, “Europe’s history of storytelling is baked into every stone in its streets and every brick on its ancient monuments, you can hear the whispers of great story tellers from literally thousands of years ago… I cannot wait to add a few whispers to that rich history.”
Jens Richter, CEO of commercial and international at Fremantle, calls the show a “remarkably bold, ambitious and highly entertaining series.”
The 39th edition of Mipcom will gather more than 10,000 senior international television producers, buyers, commissioners and creatives. Over 250 exhibiting studios and distributors from 45 countries are expected to attend.
While at Mipcom, Fremantle will also host the international premiere screening of “Alice & Jack” with Andrea Riseborough (“Birdman”) and Domhnall Gleeson (“The Revenant”), and a special presentation of “Neighbours” titled “The Power of IP: Neighbours.”
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