Sean Penn Refuses to Resume Filming ‘Gaslit’ Until All Cast & Crew is Vaccinated

Starz’s Watergate series Gaslit has hit a setback as its star Sean Penn is refusing to return to work until all cast and crew on the production have been vaccinated against COVID-19.

According to Deadline, Penn, who recently returned from Cannes where his film Flag Day premiered, has offered to help the production with its vaccination effort through his non-profit organization CORE. This comes as the Delta variant of the virus has seen cases skyrocketing again in Los Angeles and across the United States.

Under the current safety guidelines, the Gaslit production is split into different “zones” that determine the levels of protection needed and the proximity to the cast. Those in Zone A, which constitutes the actors and those in close contact, must be vaccinated. An email was sent to cast and crew earlier this week to inform them that an on-site clinic has been made available to provide free vaccinations, as reported by Deadline.

Penn, however, is demanding further action, including vaccinations for those outside of Zone A or in close proximity to it.

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Produced by UCP and NBCUniversal, Gaslit is based on Slate‘s award-winning podcast, Slow Burn, and is described as “a modern take on Watergate that focuses on the untold stories and forgotten characters of the scandal — from Nixon’s bumbling, opportunistic subordinates, to the deranged zealots aiding and abetting their crimes, to the tragic whistleblowers who would eventually bring the whole rotten enterprise crashing down.”

Penn is set to play President Nixon’s loyal Attorney General John Mitchell, with Julia Roberts playing his wife, Martha Mitchell. The cast also features Shea Whigham as G. Gordon Liddy, Darby Camp as Mitchell’s daughter, Marty, Betty Gilpin as Maureen “Mo” Kane Dean, and Dan Stevens as John Dean.

Gaslit, TBA, Starz