Zac Efron Shares First Photo of Himself as Ted Bundy for 'Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile'
Actor Zac Efron is known for his good looks and charm, traits which he often puts to good use in a [...]
Actor Zac Efron is known for his good looks and charm, traits which he often puts to good use in a variety of comedies. The actor is set to descend into darker territory for his film Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, in which he plays serial killer Ted Bundy. To announce the start of filming, Efron shared a photo of himself as the killer.
The film also stars Lily Collins and John Malkovich.
Michael Werwie wrote the script for the film, which "is told through the perspective of Elizabeth Kloepfer, Bundy's longtime girlfriend, who went years denying the accusations against Bundy but ultimately turned him in to the police. Only nearing his execution, when Bundy began talking about his extensive and heinous murders, did Kloepfer, and the rest of the world, learn the true scope of his numerous and grisly crimes."
Joe Berlinger directs the film, having previously established himself as a compelling documentarian of a variety of true crime stories.
The upcoming production could prove to be turning point in both Efron and Berlinger's careers.
John Henry Browne, who served as Bundy's lawyer in the '70s and '80s, shared with TMZ last year that Efron's charm and good looks were an integral component in Bundy's coercion of his victims. Efron may already possess the murderer's good looks and charm, but Browne claims the true test will be if Efron can capture Bundy's "essence of evilness."
Berlinger previously attempted to transition from the world of documentaries to narratives with Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, which failed to capture the public's attention in ways the original film had. However, his years of experience with true crime stories in the years since that film and Extremely Wicked's true crime nature will allow Berlinger to blur the lines between fiction and reality in compelling ways.
Ted Bundy takes credit for having killed at least 30 people, mostly women and young girls, between 1974 and 1978 across seven states. He received three death sentences for his crimes, dying in the electric chair in 1989.
With filming having only just begun, it's unclear when we can expect the film to hits theaters.