Zac Efron to Star in A24’s New Tragic Wrestling Drama

Just days after it was announced that the actor would be starring alongside Nicole Kidman and Joey King in the upcoming Netflix comedy Behind the Candelabra, Deadline has reported that Efron has been tapped along with writer-director Sean Durkin for A24's new drama, The Iron Claw. The new movie will tell the true story of the Von Erich family dynasty of wrestlers that left an impact on the sport from the 1960s through present day. Apart from the casting and the news that the studio behind films like Uncut Gems, Midsommar, Moonlight, Euphoria and more had signed on to produce the project, there haven't been too many additional details, but the collection of names attached are enough to have us intrigued.

Diving into the Von Erich family history, there's plenty of tragic moments and larger-than-life egos for Efron to sink his acting teeth into. From the family patriarch Fritz Von Erich's legacy in the world of wrestling holding several belts, titles and stints as the president of a couple different wrestling organizations that preceded the WWE, to the string of suicides and deaths that would go on to take the lives of five out of the six Von Erich brothers perpetuating the myth of a family curse, the Oscar bait-y material is certainly there. The title of the film itself is derived from a nickname of "Tetsu no Tsume" (which translates to "The Iron Claw" in English) Fritz got while wrestling in Japan. The Von Erich family would later go on to be inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame as a group in 2009.

Apart from the forthcoming A24 picture, Efron is also set to appear in Pete Farrelly’s anticipated follow-up to the Oscar winning Green Book, The Greatest Beer Run Ever, which will air on Apple TV.

Photo via Getty/ Rich Polk