According to Deadline, Zac Efron (High School Musical, The Iron Claw) is set to star and executive-produce for HBO and A24’s Angel Heart. Efron partners with HBO and Zach Baylin (The Order, The Crow) for a new take on an ’80s cult classic as a dramatic series. Efron is set to star and executive produce and Black Rabbit creator Baylin is writing and executive producing. This marks the second adaptation of the novel, following Alan Parker’s (Pink Floyd- The Wall, The Life of David Gale) 1987 cult classic Angel Heart.
Jonathan van Tulleken (Shogun, Blade Runner 2099) will be directing several episodes of the series as well as executive directing, Deadline reports. Other executive producers include Baylin’s partner Kate Susman (The Order, Brother Save Us) through their Youngblood Pictures, Marc Toberoff (Fantasy Islan, Predator: Badlands), Alice P. Neuhauser (The Fighter, In the Deathroom), Joe Hipps (House of Cards, Ozark) and newcomers Max Hjortsberg, Lorca Hjortsberg, for Cut To, Stuart Manashil (Boy Kills World, To Catch a Killer), Kevin Turen (All Is Lost, Monster of God) and Harrison Kreiss (Hurry Up Tomorrow, The Idol).
As per Deadline, the series will be based on William Hjortsberg’s (Harry Angel, Gray Matters) 1978 novel Fallen Angel and the sequel Angel’s Inferno. The series will follow “A down-and-out NYC paparazzi, who makes his living finding and photographing people who don’t want to be found, is hired by a mysterious man to find a missing woman. But the deeper he digs to find her, the more it looks like a group of powerful elites, and maybe something supernatural, are covering up the disappearance.”
Deadline reports that this will be the third project that Efron has done with A24 going back to the wrestling drama The Iron Claw. The next project for Efron and the studio is the dark comedy Famous from director Jody Hill (The Foot Fist Way, Vice Principals), which also stars Phoebe Dynevor (Thrsh, Remain). Efron also has the Amazon MGM Studios comedy Judgement Day, where he stars opposite Will Ferrell (Step Brothers, The Other Guys).