Zac Efron signs up for gritty crime thriller, if that's what it takes for you to respect him

He’s openly mocked his ‘tweener fans and High School Musical on Saturday Night Live. He opted out of seemingly sure things like the Footloose remake so he could star in a Richard Linklater movie about boring old Orson Welles. He even cut his swoop-y bangs—you guys, what does Zac Efron have to do to prove that he’s a serious actor and stuff? Should he star in a remake of a gritty Swedish crime thriller where he plays a money launderer for a coke dealer? Because he will totally star in a remake of a gritty Swedish crime thriller where he plays a money launderer for a coke dealer: Efron has signed up to both produce and fill the lead in the Warner Bros. adaptation of Swedish hit Snabba Cash—which translates as “Easy Money,” though hopefully it will find some new title, lest anyone confuse it with a certain underrated Rodney Dangerfield/Joe Pesci buddy comedy. Based on Jens Lapidus’ novel, the film weaves together three interconnected storylines about drugs and organized crime, and pretty soon we’ll all be sorry we ever doubted the Efron.