Holy teen idols!
Zac Efron will star in Mandate Picture's new untitled romantic action film, the studio said on Monday.
As TheWrap reported earlier, Efron replaces Shia LaBeouf, who passed on the project.
Efron will play a suburban kid who travels to Eastern Europe to find himself. According to a plot description, our lustrously-locked warrior falls for a young woman and finds himself drawn into the criminal underworld.
The movie seems timed to help the "High School Musical" star transition into more adult roles. Though "17 Again" was a modest hit, "Charlie St. Cloud" underperformed at the box office last summer.
Originally entitled "The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman," the movie was written by Matt Drake and will be directed by Fredrik Bond. Bond is best known for directing commercials for companies such as Nike and Heineken.
The screenplay was featured on the 2007 Black List, a ranking of the best unproduced scripts.
Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa of Bona Fide Productions will produce along with William Horberg. Mandate president Nathan Kahane and Dean Parisot will executive produce. Carlo Martinelli will serve as a co-producer. Lawrence Grey will oversee the project on behalf of Mandate.
Lionsgate is handling international sales.
Zac Efron is repped by CAA, Alchemy Entertainment, and attorney Patti Felker of Felker, Toczek, Gellman, Suddleson. Fredrik Bond is represented by CAA and Management 360. Matt Drake is represented by Original Artists.
