Multiple sources involved in the documentary -- due out Friday -- tell TMZ, some of the people interviewed suggest that Penn alerted the DOJ that he was traveling down to a secret location in Mexico to interview the drug kingpin for a Rolling Stone article.
TMZ has obtained an email from David Broome, the Executive Producer of "The Day I Met El Chapo: The Kate del Castillo Story," in which he worries ... "My concern is that we are taking an immense amount of pressure from all directions related to Sean Penn and currently Netflix has done a great job of hanging tough -- but their nerves are on edge."
Broome goes on ... "I'm worried that there's a chance Netflix hits the brakes for a while."
Penn, del Castillo and 2 others met Chapo on Oct. 2, 2015. Twelve hours after the meeting, Mexican authorities raided the site but Chapo had already left. He was captured 3 months later.
We've learned several lawyers working for Penn repeatedly contacted Netflix to, at the very least, eliminate any references to their client allegedly contacting DOJ prior to meeting Chapo.
Our sources say Penn's concern is that if Chapo's associates in the world of drugs believe he set Chapo up for capture, there'd be a target on the heads of Penn, his family and his associates.
Penn's spokesperson, Mark Fabiani, tells TMZ, "It is reprehensible that, in their ongoing, relentless efforts to gain additional attention and publicity, Ms. del Castillo and her team (who have zero firsthand knowledge) have sought to create this profoundly false, foolish, and reckless narrative."
The rep goes on, "The notion that Mr. Penn or anyone on his behalf alerted DOJ to the trip is a complete fabrication and bald-faced lie. It never happened, nor would there have been any reason for it to have happened."
Wonder if Spicoli may be rethinking his position on personal protection of the non anti-Madonna variety?