Zac Efron and Seth Rogen once starred together in the comedy Neighbors. Now, Efron is replacing Rogen in the upcoming King Of The Jungle, the true story drama revolving around disgraced tech magnate John McAfee.
The film follows a journalist named Ari Furman who accepts what he thinks is a run-of-the-mill assignment to interview McAfee, the creator of the McAfee Antivirus software.
However, he soon finds himself in the jungles of Belize, where the increasingly paranoid mogul has retreated to a Colonel Kurtz-esque compound of guns, sex and madness. Michael Keaton was previously attached to star as McAfee, but he’s no longer involved. Still, that role is a juicy one for anybody who wants it.
Glenn Ficarra and John Requa (Crazy Stupid Love) are directing from a script by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski. Alexander and Karaszewski have won Emmys for American Crime Story, and also penned recent Netflix film Dolemite Is My Name.
Replacing Rogen with Efron is interesting, as they’re not exactly the same sort of actor, even though Efron has found his niche in Rogen-esque comedies. King Of The Jungle felt more like a bizarre comedy with Rogen and Keaton in the lead roles, but maybe it’s something slightly different with Efron and an as-yet-unknown actor replacing them.
We’ll wait and see. McAfee’s story is a truly strange one that deserves the big screen treatment. So however it turns out, it will likely get people talking.
Efron will next be seen – or rather, heard – as the voice of Fred in the upcoming Scooby Doo animated movie, Scoob.
#Peace.Love.KingOfTheJungle
