Zac Efron Slated to Play Serial Killer Ted Bundy In Indie From Joe Berlinger
Zac Efron has signed on to play notorious serial killer Ted Bundy in the indie biopic “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile.”
Joe Berlinger (“Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru”) will direct from a screenplay by Michael Werwie. The script won the Academy Nicholl Fellowship first prize and was on the Black List. The movie is being produced by Michael Costigan’s (“Brokeback Mountain”) Cota Films, and Nicholas Chartier’s Voltage Pictures (“The Hurt Locker,” “Dallas Buyers Club”). Voltage will handle sales at the Cannes Film Festival. Shooting is set to begin on October 9.
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“I have been trying to work with Zac Efron for a long time,” producer Nicolas Chartier told Variety. “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 movie tells the story of Bundy and his turbulent relationship with his long-time girlfriend, Liz. It will be told from her point of view. Bundy was executed in 1989 after confessing to the murder of dozens of women, including a 12-year-old.
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Efron will next be seen in the summer blockbuster “Baywatch” opposite Dwayne Johnson.”Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile” is only the second narrative feature for Berlinger, a prolific television and non-fiction filmmaker. His documentary, “Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory,” was nominated for an Academy Award in 2012.
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