Editorials > Van Sant Draws First Milk

Gus Van Sant and Bryan Singer have been vying to bring the story of Harvey Milk to the screen for nearly a decade. Now it seems that Van Sant's Milk will make it to screens first, with the WGA playing unintentional defense. The Mayor of Castro Street, written by The Usual Suspects writer Christopher McQuarrie is complete, according to producer Craig Zadan, but it wasn't turned in before the strike deadline. As a result, Singer will have to wait while Van Sant's Milk biopic goes forward with Sean Penn playing the eponymous San Francisco mayor.  Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen are producing the film, written by Dustin Lance Black.

The film will tell the story of Harvey Milk, the first openly-gay elected official who was later assassinated by city supervisor Dan White in 1978. The Times of Harvey Milk was an Oscar-winning documentary on the subject matter in 1984, but this will be the first fiction film about the late gay rights activist.

-David Morgan