In this Oct 8, 2015 file photo, Sean Penn speaks during a forum with young entrepreneurs during the IMF and World Bank annual meeting in Lima, Peru In this Oct 8, 2015 file photo, Sean Penn speaks during a forum with young entrepreneurs during the IMF and World Bank annual meeting in Lima, Peru

He thought his story was movie material. After all drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, the leader of Sinaloa cartel, had been captured twice and escaped, and that, along with his ruthlessness, made him a name known in pop culture. But it was those Hollywood dreams that helped Mexican marines track him down in Los Mochis, a seaside city, and capture him Friday.

Guzman might yet become a Hollywood subject. The Hollywood Reporter reported last summer that director/producer Ridley Scott and Fox were teaming up to adapt the fictional book, "The Cartel," into a movie. Drug lords - both fictitious and real- have long captured attention as lead characters in movies and TV. A look at some notable drug lords in popular culture:

'Narcos'

The current Netflix series tells the story of real-life Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, portrayed by Wagner Moura.

'Breaking Bad'

A TV series about fictional meth cook and would-be kingpin Walter White, portrayed by Bryan Cranston, which ran from 2008 to 2013. White was a high school chemistry teacher, but when diagnosed with cancer, he turned to producing methamphetamine with a former student. The series was set in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

'American Gangster'

Denzel Washington starred in this 2007 movie as Frank Lucas, who takes over after his boss dies and becomes a key heroin drug lord in Harlem.

'The Wire'

Russell "Stringer" Bell and Avon Barksdale, portrayed by Idris Elba and Wood Harris, respectively, play kingpins in this show about different facets of crime and life in Baltimore, including the inner workings of drug-selling street gangs. The series aired from 2002 to 2008

'New Jack City'

In the 1991 film, Nino Brown, portrayed by Wesley Snipes, becomes a powerful crime lord with a growing drug business. Even friends and associates aren't safe from his wrath. In the end, Brown is killed after leaving a courtroom. The movie also starred Ice-T.

'Scarface'

Al Pacino plays Tony Montana in this 1983 move that's become legendary even among those who haven't seen it. He's a Cuban immigrant who enters a life of crime and eventually, takes over a drug cartel and inevitably, spirals out of control. A memorable line: "Say hello to my little friend."

Penn's first appearance

Sean Penn appeared Saturday night in Beverly Hills at his own fundraiser in which he took to the stage numerous times to speak, yet didn't allude to the controversy that exploded just hours earlier pertaining to his published interview with Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. The "Sean Penn & Friends: Help Haiti Home" charity gala went on as scheduled at the Montage Hotel, but he and other celebrities kept the focus squarely on the cause for which he raised more than $7 million.

Before opening the live auction, Penn teared up at the podium recalling the death of a 15-year-old in Haiti, who was refused treatment at hospitals. "So whose fault was it that he died? It was my fault as much as your fault... We can't depend on governments... We have to make it better now," Penn said. "Let's use the cash to stop people from strapping bombs on their bodies and killing other people."

The gala benefits the J/P Haitian Relief Organization, which was co-founded by Penn in 2010 in response to the devastating 7.0 earthquake. Traditionally held during Golden Globes weekend, the gala was emceed by Anderson Cooper and co-hosted by Penn, CAA's Bryan Lourd and Sean & Alexandra Parker. Variety is a media sponsor of the event.

Sean Penn and Madonna arrive at Saturday's 'Help Haiti Home' gala. When asked to comment about El Chapo at the event by a Variety reporter, Penn said, "I can't," and walked away. Celeb guests Madonna and Leonardo DiCaprio were active in the live auction, bidding and donating. Madonna performed a French song on the ukelele and auctioned the ukelele for $300,000. Former president Bill Clinton, who has attended the gala in previous years, also sent video remarks saying of the organization, "I've seen firsthand the differences they're making for Haitian people."

Justin Bieber, Mark Ruffalo, Patricia Arquette, Jason Segel, Emile Hirsch, Pamela Anderson, Soleil Moon Frye, Lana del Rey and Rachel Zoe were also in attendance. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers closed the show. ABC News reported Saturday night that Penn is now under investigation for the interview, according to a Mexican official. El Chapo was recaptured Friday after escaping a Mexican prison in July. "I want to say Sean, I love you, from the moment that I laid eyes on you," Madonna said to Penn, "I just wish you'd stop smoking cigarettes."-AP