Well, here’s a casting decision we never saw coming.
According to Variety, Zac Efron is leaving his frat-star roles behind—and putting on a disturbingly sensible turtleneck—to portray the infamous Ted Bundy. Oscar-winning director Joe Berlinger plans to bring the serial killer’s story to the silver screen in the upcoming flick Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. The film will be told from the perspective of Bundy’s longtime girlfriend, Elizabeth Kloepfer, who continued to stay with Bundy despite suspecting he was a killer.
Bundy is, unquestionably, one of America’s most notorious real-life villains. A serial rapist, kidnapper, and murderer, Bundy finally met his maker in the electric chair back in 1989. He confessed to killing 30 young women in a murder spree that lasted from 1974 to 1978 and stretched across seven states, though it’s possible that Bundy claimed additional victims. The thought of Efron, a Disney heartthrob, playing a literal lady-killer is something we’re still mulling over.
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- Photo Credit: Murderpedia
While most know Efron from bawdy comedies like Neighbors, Dirty Grandpa, or That Awkward Moment, this is not his first trip to the dramatic dark side. In 2012, he starred in Lee Daniel’s pulpy, John Waters-esque film, The Paperboy, which was a smorgasbord of sweat, sex, and murder. The movie received polarizing reviews, yet Efron held his own against John Cusack’s twisted villain—and it’s this performance that has us curious about Efron's new role.
So what do you think about Efron playing Bundy? Are you excited for—*takes a deep breath*—Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile? Let us know!
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Featured photo: Wikimedia Commons; Murderpedia
