’30 Minutes or Less’ director Ruben Fleischer has begun filming his new period crime drama ‘The Gangster Squad’ in Los Angeles, Collider is reporting. The principal photography began on September 6 on the Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures film, which stars Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone.

‘The Gangster Squad’ follows real-life mob king Mickey Cohen, played by Penn, who runs the business in 1949 L.A. He has control of the city’s drugs, guns and prostitution profits, and he’s aiming for control of every wire bet placed west of Chicago. Mickey is protected by not only his bodyguards, but also the police and politicians who are under his control. But Sgt. John O’Mara, portrayed by Brolin, and Jerry Wooters, played by Gosling, are determined to lead the LAPD outsiders who will take Mickey down. Stone starrs as Grace Faraday, Mickey’s moll and the object of Wooters’ attention.

The film is being shot in and around L.A. at many of the actual locations featured in the plot. The screenplay for ‘The Gangster Squad’ was written by Will Beall, and is based on Paul Lieberman’s article series ‘Tales From the Gangster Squad.’ The movie is being produced by Dan Lin, Kevin McCormick and Michael Tadross.

Written by: Karen Benardello