AceShowbiz -

From a gunman, Sean Penn is now elected president for his next role. The Oscar-winning actor will headline a Lionsgate-produced miniseries about President Andrew Jackson which has landed on HBO.

Titled "American Lion", the six-hour event series is based on Jon Meacham's Pulitzer Prize-winning biography "American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House". It chronicles the life of the seventh U.S. president, who went from a self-made man and military general to the country's first "People's President."

Penn will also executive produce the project, which is written by "Narcos" creators Doug Miro and Carlo Bernard. Miro and Bernard will also serve as executive producers along with Facebook's head of market development Matt Jacobson. Production is set to begin in 2016.

Penn won two Academy Awards, for his roles in "Mystic River" (2003) and the biopic "Milk" (2008). Also known for his portrayal of a mentally handicapped father in 2001's "I Am Sam", the 55-year-old actor recently starred in action thriller "The Gunman" (2015) which was deemed a failure at box office.