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Zac Efron’s career properly began when he starred in The Disney Channel original movie, High School Musical. The movie was a massive global success, and spawned two sequels, with High School Musical 3 earning itself a cinematic opening rather than being made for TV. Most expected Efron to follow the pattern of most teen stars; make a couple of weak movies, maybe appear in a few TV shows, before fading into oblivion, but that didn’t happen.
In fact, Efron has bucked the trend completely. He’s made a solid name for himself as an R-rated comedy actor, starring alongside Seth Rogen in Neighbors and Neighbors 2, and with Adam DeVine in Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates. He’s also stayed true to his musical roots, appearing in Hairspray, and turned his hand to drama in Me and Orson Welles. He’s now set to appear opposite Dwayne Johnson in the new, R-rated Baywatch movie, out next week. In short, Efron cannot be pigeonholed.
THR now reports that Efron’s newest project is something much darker than we’ve seen from him before. The actor will take on the role of notorious serial killer, Ted Bundy, in Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, to be directed by Joe Berlinger (Paradise Lost 3). The story will be told from the perspective of Bundy’s girlfriend, Elizabeth Kloepfer, who denied all the accusations against her lover, but in the end, it was she who turned him over to the police.
During the 70’s, Bundy raped, kidnapped and murdered more than 30 victims, though the exact number of homicides is still unknown. Described as handsome and charismatic, he used those traits to lead unsuspecting young women to their deaths. He was sentenced to death by electric chair, and died in 1989.
The role will be a massive departure for Efron, and a big challenge, but one which ultimately could take his career up another notch. Principal photography is set to begin this October, though no release date or co-stars are known yet.
Featured Image: Universal
