Zac Efron hasn't been the kid from High School Musical for a long time, but his latest role couldn't possibly be any further from the ever-earnest Troy Bolton. His initials, however, will remain the same: In true teen icon-turned-movie star fashion, Efron will embrace his dark side by portraying serial murderer Ted Bundy in upcoming film Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. Now, we know exactly what Efron's killer looks will entail.
"Ted Bundy is going to be a challenge. I think it's going to be different and it's going to be fun. I'm super stoked," Efron told his Greatest Showman co-star Zendaya during their interview with Buzzfeed.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
On Wednesday, the actor shared a photo to Instagram that officially allowed his fans to "meet Ted." Or, at least, Efron's version of him.
The behind-the-scenes photo seemingly shows the Baywatch star having his mugshot taken. Bundy was arrested a number of times, beginning in 1974, when he was found in possession of burglary tools. This is, people speculate, when his murderous rampage allegedly started.
Efron's fans freaked out over the new pic in the comments section:
"Omg if this movie doesn’t make it big I’m done. He’s literally playing one of the most famous serial killers," wrote one commenter.
"after some creepy zooming in on his face I reckon that he has the expression down," added another.
"This movie is gunna be so damn good," reminded a third.
Though the movie is technically about Bundy, it won't be from his point of view — which is a good thing, for those worried that it might glorify a man who murdered over 36 people. The new film will star Lily Collins as Bundy's girlfriend, and will show her perspective on the events leading up to the serial killer's execution.
Efron certainly has Bundy's expression down, but we'll have to wait and see if he makes a convincing killer when the film hits theaters. Production is set to begin 18th January.