Zac Efron’s HBO ‘Angel Heart’ Is the A24 Reunion Nobody Knew They Needed
Few creative partnerships in recent Hollywood memory have felt as natural as the one between Zac Efron and A24. Before his dramatic transformation in ‘The Iron Claw,’ Efron was widely known for lighthearted comedies and musicals, but his bruising performance as wrestler Kevin Von Erich opened an entirely different chapter in his career. It signaled, loudly and clearly, that he was ready to anchor darker, more complex material.
The A24 wrestling drama earned Efron some of the strongest reviews of his career and became one of the studio’s bigger box-office successes, grossing over $45 million on a budget of under $16 million. That combination of critical warmth and commercial traction gave the actor serious leverage to be selective, and what he has chosen to do next says everything about where his ambitions now sit.
According to Deadline, HBO and A24 are developing an ‘Angel Heart’ drama series, with Efron attached to star and executive produce, and ‘Black Rabbit’ creator Zach Baylin writing and executive producing. The show will be a one-hour drama based on the 1978 horror novel ‘Falling Angel,’ which was previously adapted into the Mickey Rourke and Robert De Niro film ‘Angel Heart’ in 1987, as well as its sequel ‘Angel’s Inferno.’ ‘Shogun’s’ Jonathan Van Tulleken is set to direct and executive produce across multiple episodes.
The official logline describes a down-and-out New York City paparazzi who makes his living finding and photographing people who do not want to be found, and who is hired by a mysterious man to locate a missing woman. The deeper he digs, the more it appears that a group of powerful elites, and possibly something supernatural, are covering up the disappearance. It is a premise that blends neo-noir dread with a supernatural edge, which fits comfortably alongside some of the more adventurous work both HBO and A24 have been drawn to in recent years.
The source material carries real weight in genre circles. ‘Angel Heart’ has developed a devoted cult following over the decades, and it counts among its admirers Christopher Nolan, who has cited the film as one of his favorite horror movies. On Rotten Tomatoes, the original film holds scores of 82% from critics and 81% from audiences, with reviewers praising its dark mystery, classic noir style, and intensely haunting atmosphere. Adapting something with that kind of legacy is a responsibility, and the creative team assembled here suggests everyone involved understands the stakes.
Baylin has been on a significant roll across both film and television, having created and showrun the Netflix crime series ‘Black Rabbit,’ which is now in contention in this year’s limited series Emmy race. He also recently sold a Lance Armstrong spec to Apple with Ed Berger directing and Austin Butler set to star. His involvement gives the project a writer who clearly knows how to build prestige drama from layered, morally complicated characters.
HBO and A24 previously joined forces on the Emmy-nominated adaptation of ‘The Sympathizer,’ starring Robert Downey Jr., which demonstrated how effective that partnership can be when both sides are fully committed. With Efron’s growing dramatic credibility, a showrunner in the middle of a hot streak, and a director fresh off one of television’s most acclaimed recent productions in ‘Shogun,’ ‘Angel Heart’ arrives with the kind of pedigree that makes it impossible to look away.
Whether Efron can carry this particular kind of brooding, supernatural noir is the question fans and critics will be debating from here until a premiere date lands, so share your thoughts on whether this casting feels like the right move.
