Attention, A24 girlies: Troy Bolton is officially going indie.
Former Disney Channel heartthrob Zac Efron is set to star in The Iron Claw, a wrestling drama from the production company behind critical darlings like Uncut Gems (or Uncah Jahmz, if you’re nasty) and Everything Everywhere All at Once. This is huge news for those of us who had their sexual awakenings in middle school watching Efron sing in Hairspray, then grew up to become adults that are still angry that Laurie Metcalf didn’t win the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Lady Bird in 2017.
The Iron Claw will tell the story of the Von Erich family, a real-life wrestling dynasty that has played a prominent role in the sport since the 1960s. In its heyday, the family consisted of patriarch Fritz Von Erich and sons Kevin, David, Kerry, Mike, and Chris. Fritz’s grandsons still wrestle professionally today. In spite of their athletic success, the Von Erichs were haunted by tragedy—five of Fritz Von Erich’s six sons died young.
Filmmaker Sean Durkin, whose previous credits include Martha Marcy May Marlene and The Nest, is writing and directing The Iron Claw. Efron’s role has not yet been announced, nor has a release date.
News of Efron’s casting in the gritty A24 film comes just days after reports that the Neighbors actor will be appearing in a star-studded Netflix rom-com alongside Nicole Kidman and Joey King. The untitled comedy will be his second high-profile project with the streaming platform, following his popular travel series Down to Earth with Zac Efron, whose second season is currently in production. Later this year, he will appear in Peter Farrelly’s hotly-anticipated Apple TV+ film, Greatest Beer Run Ever.
Basically, Efron and his sexy mustache are staying booked and busy. He doesn’t care that Firestarter has an 11 percent critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, nor should he!
