Zac Efron has been through quite the transformation since he turned heads as High School Musical's Troy Bolton back in 2006.
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Dude went from cute Bieber look-alike to jacked frat bro.
Or, as Twitter so delicately put it...
Zac Efron went from "I'll have her home by 8!" to "Even your wife calls me daddy" pic.twitter.com/iIUdTnkMjT
— Pics for Girls (@PicsForGirIs) January 14, 2017
Yeaaaah.
So clearly, Efron's been trying to make that most difficult of transitions, fresh-faced Disney star to genuine actor, and while he's shed much of his Disney persona's innocence by taking roles in raunchy comedies, his next role will probably be the one that seals the deal — if he can pull it off.
Guys, Zac Efron just signed on to play Ted Bundy in a new film called Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile.
You remember Ted Bundy, right? The serial killer who confessed to killing at least 30 girls and women in a four-year period back in the '70s, typically strangling his victims and sometimes decapitating them, too? Yeah. That guy.
So, you know, a bit of a departure from Efron's usual roles. But you know what? Surprisingly, I'm into it. You heard me; I am fully on board with this unlikely Efron-Bundy connection. Here's why.
1. Efron needs to stretch a little
Clearly, I don't know the guy, but I really don't think the roles Efron has been playing to date (like dude-bro Teddy Sanders in the Neighbors films, for example) are really that far off his true personality. And yeah, he could just keep doing what he's doing indefinitely because Lord knows there's no shortage of parts for innocuously attractive young white men in Hollywood, but I think Efron is pushing for something more.
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He's rumored to be modeling his career after Leonardo DiCaprio's, letting his attractive face open some doors and then sinking his teeth into grittier parts to show his acting chops. It's a savvy move, and well, if you're looking for gritty, Ted Bundy is a pretty good choice.
2. I'm curious
So very, very curious about what this will look like. Can he manage to channel the charismatic and manipulative Bundy on screen? Can he balance the good looks and charming demeanor Bundy is infamous for while also carrying the convoluted mental state of a man who was called by a member
of his own legal defense team "the very definition of heartless evil"?
I mean, this is a real character. This is a man who seduces young women in one scene and meticulously murders them in the next. Can Efron manage this? I'm curious whether he can be dark enough to buck his pretty-boy persona.
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3. Because even if it's bad, it's good
Let me be clear, I'm a fan of this casting decision, and oddly enough for someone who DGAF about Zac Efron in the slightest, I'm rooting for the guy. But, in the event that Bundy is too much for him, this is going to be the best bad movie ever.
Just imagine Bundy's chillingly calculated seductions turned into cringy bedroom eyes and cheesy grins. Imagine his murderous psychopathy bumped down a few notches to slightly creepy bar dude.
If Efron pulls this off, it'll be one of the most fascinating character shifts an actor has managed to make, on par with Dwayne Johnson transforming from WWE joke to multimillion dollar blockbuster star.
If he can't, however, a dark film about one of history's most cold-blooded serial killers will become a cheap, campy horror thriller.
Either way, mark my words; it'll be very entertaining to watch.