The casting decision that rocked Hollywood found High School Musical star Zac Efron tapped to play serial killer Ted Bundy. Now comes the first glimpse at Efron in character.

The heartthrob and star of hit movies such as Neighbors will play Bundy in the upcoming Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. The film, directed by documentary filmmaker Joe Berlinger (the inflammatory Metallica tell-all Some Kind Of Monster), is told from the perspective of Bundy's longtime girlfriend, Elizabeth Kloepfer.

Kloepfer, who reportedly refused to believe in Bundy's crimes for years, will be played here by British actress Lily Collins (Mirror Mirror, Netflix's To The Bone). John Malkovich is also slated to star as judge Edward Cowart who presided over the infamous case.

Although production has begun, very few details are known about the movie. Luckily,
Efron shared a behind-the-scenes shot from the shoot on his Twitter account, giving anxious fans their first glimpse at the good-guy-turned-bad.

Judging by the photo, it seems the team may be recreating Bundy's infamous mug shot from his 1975 arrest in Salt Lake City, Utah. The notoriously charming and handsome killer would subsequently escape from prison twice before being finally caught and convicted.

Bundy is arguably the most infamous serial killer in US history. He was executed in 1989 for the murders of over 30 women during the early 1970s.

His work was so ubiquitous that Blondie singer Debbie Harry revealed back in 2010 that she almost accepted a lift from him. Harry said she sensed something was wrong when she noticed there was no door handles on the inside of the car. She quickly opened it from the outside and flung herself out.

"He tried to stop me by spinning the car, but it helped me fling myself out. Afterwards I saw him on the news. Ted Bundy," she said.

Efron was cast as Bundy in May of last year, shocking many pundits. Although he's most well-known for clean-cut roles in the likes of High School Musical and Baywatch, Efron has been branching out into darker, more adult fare lately, particularly with Neighbors and its sequel Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising.

Zendaya, Efron's costar in The Greatest Showman, recently asked him in an interview what his most challenging role to date was. Efron revealed it's this one, in Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. 

"Ted Bundy is going to be a challenge. I think it's going to be different and it's going to be fun," he said.

Considering Bundy was a well-known charmer who kept his dark side well hidden even from those closest to him, Efron's casting could be perfect.

Join the Discussion