Sean Penn has more to 'Milk' than awards circuit

Awards hopeful Sean Penn now has more to prepare for than acceptance speeches for his current film "Into the Wild."

The Oscar-winning actor and director is set to star as Harvey Milk in the new film "Milk," directed by Gus Van Sant for Focus Features.

Penn will portray the gay-rights icon who was the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in America; in 1977, he was voted to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. The following year, he and Mayor George Moscone were shot to death by another city supervisor, Dan White.

Michael London's Groundswell Productions is co-financing the film with Focus Features.

"The Focus team is the best in the business when it comes to provocative, socially relevant movies with world-class talent like Gus Van Sant and Sean Penn," London said in a statement. "We're thrilled that they share our passion for telling the story of Harvey Milk."

In addition to "Milk," current and upcoming Focus Features releases include Joe Wright's "Atonement," starring James McAvoy, Keira Knightley and Romola Garai.