Zac Effron Has Been Casted To Play The Role Of Ted Bundy In New Film

Zac Efron’s next role will take the actor into a path we’ve never seen before. The actor just signed a contract to portray the serial killer Ted Bundy in the indie drama, ‘Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile.’

Efron is taking a dramatic turn in his career with this much darker project. Though we’re used to his charming and funny roles, Zac has previously taken on drama roles in films such as Paperboy.

Zac is going full dramatic with a serial killer role

The High School Musical and Neighbors star will join director Joe Berlinger, best known for his true crime documentaries like Brother’s Keeper and the Paradise Lost, in the indie drama ‘Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile.’

Zac will play the serial killer who used his charm and handsomeness to trick his victims. Bundy earned his monstrous reputation after taking the lives of at least 30 women.He generally used his good looks and seeming problem like a faked injury to ask for help before abducting his victims. Even when he was in prison he terrified the nation by escaping twice between 1974 and 1978 and setting off an enormous manhunt. He was submitted to the death penalty and executed in 1989.

Now, almost 20 years later Zac is set to portray the killer’s charm and the terrifying story he wrote. And seems like Zac is just the man for the role. Not only he’s charming and a total junk, but he’s quite versatile and this role comes as a great challenge that he’ll nail for sure.

Extremely Wicked’s producer Nicolas Chartier said of Zac, “I have been trying to work with Zac Efron for a long time,” Chartier said. “From his dramatic turn in ‘Paperboy’ to his hilarious performance in ‘Neighbors,’ he continues to impress audiences and critics alike with his extraordinary versatility and range. We couldn’t be more excited to see him in this amazing role.”

The project is set to begin its photography on October 9 and is expected to premiere at next year’s Cannes Film Festival.

Portraying the psychological side of the story

The movie is having a quite interesting spin in checking Bundy’s murders in favor of a psychological examination.

‘Extremely Wicked’ will incorporate the perspective of Bundy’s longtime girlfriend, Elizabeth Kloepfer, whose role is yet to be cast. Elizabeth suspected he was responsible for the murders of at least 30 women and she was the one who ultimately turned him to the police.

First-time screenwriter Michael Werwie, who also adapted Lost Girls as an Amazon vehicle for Sarah Paulson, wrote the original script of the movie.

“The common thread among everyone who knew him was that he had this facade that led you to believe that there was no possible way for this to be true,” Werwie said. “It was essentially a con-man story. It was a classic unreliable narrator. … And remember, the drama is not from his admission of guilt ― it’s from his admission of guilt to the person he loves most.”

The project has been on the table for a while, in fact, it was first unveiled in 2014 Cannes Film Festival but it wasn’t until last year that it began its works.

Nicola Chartier and Ara Keshishian for Voltage Pictures and Michael Costigan’s Cota Films are producing. Zac is also taking part in the production with his Ninjas Runnin’ Wild banner producing alongside Micheal Simkin and Jason Barrett. Michael Werwie and Jonathan Deckter will be executive producers.

Sticking to less scary roles for a while

We’ll have to wait to see Zac’s dramatic and dark turn in ‘Extremely Wicked,’ for now, we can stick to a less scary Zac, thank God.

For months we’ve been waiting to see Zac as a lifeguard, and it’s finally happening! After a long waiting and lots of teasing for the anticipated Baywatch reboot, we’re getting closer to see Zac as an Olympic athlete turned lifeguard in Baywatch.

The actor is promoting the comedy reboot of Baywatch, directed by Seth Gordon. Zac hits the screen alongside Dwayne The Rock Johnson, Alexandra Daddario, Priyanka Chopra, Kelly Rohrbach.

In the remade film, Zac shows us a very funny bromance with The Rock as they try to save the beach from a group of criminals. The movie will be released on May 25, and yes, Zac also runs in slow motion.

Zac’s also starring Fox’s The Greatest Showman in which he goes back to his musical roots along with Hugh Jackman. The project is an upcoming musical drama directed by Michael Gracey.The story follows American showman O.T Barnum, founder of the circus that became the famous traveling Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus, which shut down in the past months after a controversy with the animal treatment.

The script was written by Michael Arndt, Jenny Bicks, and Bill Condon. Other cast members include Zendaya, Michelle Williams, and Rebecca Ferguson. It’s scheduled for a Christmas Day 2017 release.