Josh Brolin is negotiating to star alongside Sean Penn in Milk, Focus Features' biopic about late gay-rights activist Harvey Milk, according to Variety.

Brolin would play Dan White, the San Francisco county supervisor who killed Milk (Penn) and Mayor George Moscone in 1978.

Gus Van Sant is directing the project, which will begin filming next month.

The movie will shoot entirely in San Francisco, where Milk became the first openly gay man elected to office in 1977.

Milk was released November 26th, 2008 and stars Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin, Diego Luna, James Franco, Alison Pill, Victor Garber, Denis O'Hare. The film is directed by Gus Van Sant.