Zac Efron has been handsome, charismatic, and eminently likable ever since he shot to fame with Disney Channel’s High School Musical. Now, add terrifying to the list. In Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, Efron plays notorious serial killer Ted Bundy, who killed at least 30 people between 1974 and 1978. In the film’s first trailer, Efron has his signature charm cranked up to 11 — which makes it all the more unsettling when the video cuts to scenes of Bundy’s gruesome murders. Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile tells the Bundy story from the point of view of Elizabeth Kloepfer, Bundy’s long-time girlfriend, and is played by Lily Collins in the film. In the trailer, Kloepfer struggles to reconcile the seemingly well-meaning family man that she knows with the cold-blooded killer portrayed by the media. Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile will cover Bundy’s life from 1969, when he met Kloepfer, up through at least his first trial in 1975. John Malkovich also appears in the trailer as the judge overseeing Bundy’s trial. The rest of the cast includes The Big Bang Theory star Jim Parsons, Westworld‘s Angela Sarafyan, former Burn Notice spook Jeffrey Donovan, Haley Joel Osment, Dylan Baker, and Metallica lead singer James Hetfield. Joe Berlinger, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile‘s director, clearly has Bundy on the brain. In addition to the new trailer, Berlinger’s four-part documentary series Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes, arrived to Netflix on January 24, telling Bundy’s story through a collection of old interviews and other archival footage. Bundy was executed in 1989 after confessing to 30 homicides across seven different states, although evidence indicates that his actual body count might be higher. In addition to the murders, Bundy escaped prison twice. His 1979 trial was the first broadcast on national television and became a massive media event. Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile will premiere on Saturday, January 26, at the Sundance Film Festival, but hasn’t been picked up for a wider release quite yet. That may change soon. Bundy’s story is fascinating and if you’re a fan of great true crime podcasts or TV’s most fascinating serial killers, you won’t want to miss this one.<doc-sep>The first trailer for Zac Efron’s new film, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, has arrived — and the reactions have been a slew of mixed emotions from fans. The film, which is premiering at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, will feature Zac as Ted Bundy, one of the most infamous serial killers in the United States who was responsible for the deaths and sexual assaults of more than 30 women. Bundy was executed in Florida in 1989 following his trial. In the one-and-a-half-minute trailer, viewers are shown snippets of Bundy’s arrest, court appearances, and time in prison, seemingly through the lens of his relationship with his girlfriend, Liz Kendall (portrayed by Lily Collins). While some online are praising the film for its casting choices (many have described Bundy as seemingly charming, on the surface), others are concerned that the movie might be romanticizing (or even sexualizing) a gruesome serial killer. “Not here for this hyper-sexualized Zac Efron film,” one person wrote on Twitter, while another described the trailer as a "punch to the face” for the families of Bundy’s victims. It would seem as though Zac is aware of the concerns himself. In an interview with Variety, the actor explained that he has a "responsibility" to ensure that Extremely Wicked isn't a "celebration" of Bundy. “Or a glorification of him,” Zac added. “But, definitely, a psychological study of who this person was. In that, there’s honesty."<doc-sep>The first trailer for Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, And Vile, in which Zac Efron plays Ted Bundy, has been released. The actor stars as the notorious serial killer in the upcoming movie, which follows Bundy’s crimes, trial, and subsequent incarceration. It also stars Lily Collins as Bundy’s girlfriend Liz and features a cameo from Metallica’s James Hetfield. The metal star appears as arresting officer Bob Hayward. Advertisement The trailer sets the scene in 1969 Seattle, beginning with the moment Bundy and Liz met. It shows Bundy carrying out his crimes, living a seemingly normal life with Liz, and, later, representing himself in court. “I’m more popular than DisneyWorld,” he says at one point. You can watch the trailer below. John Malkovich, Jim Parsons, Kaya Scodelario, Haley Joel Osment also appear in the movie, which will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival this weekend (January 26). A cinematic release date has yet to be confirmed, but expected to be announced soon. Meanwhile, Netflix has warned viewers not to watch Conversations With A Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes alone. The documentary was released to mark the 30th anniversary of the serial killer’s execution. He was sent to the electric chair on January 24, 1989. Advertisement The Ted Bundy Tapes features hours of unheard audio with its subject, who confessed to the brutal murders of 36 women and young girls during the ‘70s. It also features testimonies from women who met the notorious killer and lived to tell the tale.<doc-sep>
We finally have our first look at Zac Efron as notorious serial killer Ted Bundy in the trailer for the upcoming biopic, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. The film will follow Bundy through his crimes and trial, all from the perspective of his girlfriend, Elizabeth Kloepfer (Lily Collins), as she discovers the horrible things her boyfriend has done. The trailer gives us brief glimpses of the true horrors of the crimes that Ted Bundy committed, but it’s much more interested in playing up the strange divide between his capacity to kill — and the likability that helped turn him into a celebrity. Efron seems right at home playing the killer, who used his good looks and incredible charm to help lure in his numerous victims through the late ’60s and early ’70s, and if there’s anything that Efron has plenty of, it’s charm. Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile is directed by Joe Berlinger who’s already released another Bundy-related project this year: Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes on Netflix. While the Netflix documentary series is based around archival footage of the killer, Extremely Wicked is Berlinger’s attempt to dramatize the killer’s life and the media circus that surrounded him during his trial. It’s unclear when the movie might make it to a wider release, but it will have it’s world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 26, for a full look at the movies of Sundance 2019 you can check out Polygon’s coverage of the festival.