Zac Efron in Talks for 'The Greatest Showman on Earth'

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By Darian Scalamoni

            Zac Efron has had an interesting career thus far. He started in the Disney Channel megahit trilogy of the High School Musical movies, then followed that up with roles in romance and family films such as The Lucky One, 17 Again and Hairspray. Recently though, Efron has been known to be most successful within the comedy genre with films like That Awkward Moment and the Neighbors franchise. Now, it seems that he will try to jump into the foray of dramatic acting. Variety reports that Efron is in talks to join Hugh Jackman in The Greatest Showman on Earth.

            The Greatest Showman on Earth has been in development since 2009 with Jackman attached. The film follows the story of American showman P.T. Barnum (played by Jackman), the founder of the circus that became famous traveling Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. This is an exciting property as P.T. Barnum is one of the most famous American showman of all time. Jackman has showed that he has the ability and gravitas to play diverse characters in films like Les Miserables, Prisoners and as he’s best known for portraying Wolverine in the X-Men universe.

            This is also an interesting property for Efron to join because of the nature of how dramatic this biopic can be. The movie might also require musical talents and Efron has showcased that in the past as we know. Efron will be seen next in another comedy alongside Adam Devine in Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates. After that, he’ll be co-starring with Dwayne Johnson in Baywatch due out in 2017. The Greatest Showman on Earth is in pre-production and is expected to be released sometime in 2017.