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Child stars don’t have it easy in the Hollywood system. We’ve all heard horror stories of young actors who become cash cows for dismissive parents or lose themselves to the industry’s indulgent lifestyle. Others simply fade away, leaving their mark at a young age then failing to find work as they mature into adulthood.

Many child actors try to avoid this fate by signing on to shocking projects or accepting bold and often scandalous roles. Known for his work in the High School Musical franchise, Zac Efron attempted this feat by playing notorious serial killer Ted Bundy. Joe Berlinger’s Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile positions this prolific murderer as a duplicitous but charming boyfriend able to woo his way through a bumbling legal system until the reality of his crimes finally catches up. But does this glamorous casting serve to glorify a sadistic predator? Has...

Real-life serial killers have inspired countless films and TV shows. For instance, "Psycho," "The Texas Chainsaw Saw Massacre," and "The Silence of the Lambs" are all downstream from Ed Gein, the Wisconsin factotum who committed murder, grave robbery, and other grisly crimes during the mid-1950s. These may be great films but they are all strictly inspired by serial killers rather than about them. This article considers those films that depict killers' lives close to how they were rather than creating composite characters and other inventions. It also includes films that may not be entirely faithful to the historical record but are compelling enough to give an insight into real-world killers and their crimes.

These movies aim to capture balanced insight into their subjects. Some, like "Monster," show how abuse begets abuse, whereas others, such as "Citizen X," reflect how prejudice and ideology can allow a criminal to kill unchecked.

If you have been captivated and mystified by the JonBenét Ramsey murder case for the past three decades, then a new Netflix documentary series will definitely have a place on your watch list in November 2024. The series will dive deep into one of the most infamous American cold cases.

According to Deadline, Netflix will release Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey on Monday, Nov. 25. The all-new documentary series contains three episodes and comes from director Joe Berlinger, who's known for his true crime documentaries and docuseries.

On Dec. 25, 1996, JonBenét's parents discovered that their daughter was missing. A ransom note was left in their home and the six year old's body was later found in the basement. The tragedy was ruled a homicide, but despite various leads throughout the years, the mystery has not been solved.

JonBenét Ramsey docuseries coming to Netflix in November 2024

In the brand new three-part docuseries, Berlinger...

It’s a notorious freak moment in daytime television. On Sept. 13, 1978, one of the three competing bachelors on “The Dating Game” was Rodney Alcala, who turned out to be a serial killer; he was captured the following year. It’s no joke — or maybe it’s a meaningful one — to say that Alcala had the looks and personality of a 1970s ladykiller. He was coiffed like one of the Hudson Brothers, with a chiseled grin redolent of Engelbert Humperdinck. He practically beamed good vibes — along with some semi-submerged bad ones, answering his “Dating Game” questions in a way that was so confident it was…aggressive.

TV, of course, never got much kitschier than “The Dating Game.” I used to watch it as a kid, marveling at the fact that the entire show, with its Herb Albert-on-happy-pills theme music and its flower-power décor, was a kind of leering, smirky put-on that...

Metallica frontman James Hetfield is set to star in the dark Western thriller The Thicket alongside Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones) and Juliette Lewis (Natural Born Killers). Now, the trailer and first photos have been released from the movie, which is set to hit theaters September 6th via Tubi Films.

Hetfield plays a sheriff in the film, which features Dinklage as a bounty hunter who leads a group of outcasts on a mission to save a young girl from a violent killer played by Lewis. The movie, directed by Elliott Lester, is an adaptation of Joe Lansdale’s novel of the same name.

Get Metallica Tickets Here

The marks the second time Hetfield has played a cop in a movie, having portrayed Officer Bob Hayward in the 2019 Ted Bundy biopic Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile.

In addition to the trailer, Tubi Films recently shared several stills and on-set pics from the movie,...

Metallica frontman James Hetfield is set to star in the dark Western thriller The Thicket alongside Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones) and Juliette Lewis (Natural Born Killers). Now, the trailer and first photos have been released from the movie, which is set to hit theaters September 6th via Tubi Films.

Hetfield plays a sheriff in the film, which features Dinklage as a bounty hunter who leads a group of outcasts on a mission to save a young girl from a violent killer played by Lewis. The movie, directed by Elliott Lester, is an adaptation of Joe Lansdale’s novel of the same name.

Get Metallica Tickets Here

The marks the second time Hetfield has played a cop in a movie, having portrayed Officer Bob Hayward in the 2019 Ted Bundy biopic Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile.

In addition to the trailer, Tubi Films recently shared several stills and on-set pics from the movie,...

“McVeigh,” a drama about Timothy McVeigh and the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, is a movie rooted in the forlorn underbelly of small-town American rage.

A car snakes its way along an empty road in the desolate dusk. Men nursing cheap beers sit around in roadside bars, strips clubs, or living rooms with ugly wood paneling. And Tim (Alfie Allen), an impassive loner whose scraggly beard is an outgrowth of his not bothering to shave, sits behind his table at a gun show, hawking $2 bumper stickers that say “When guns are outlawed, I will become an outlaw.” At home, he points a weapon at the TV set, like Travis Bickle, miming the execution of the U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno as she testifies at hearings about the FBI siege of the Branch Davidian compound at Waco. Tim also travels to an Arkansas prison...

Exclusive: The BBC is developing a drama series about Bible John, one of Britain’s most notorious unidentified serial killers.

The as-yet-untitled show is understood to be in early-stage development with the BBC drama division. Buccaneer Media, which produces the likes of Irvine Welsh adaptation Crime and Paramount+ series The Burning Girls, is behind the development. The Pembrokeshire Murders scribe Nick Stevens was writing but is no longer attached, we understand.

Nicknamed due to his repeatedly quoting from the bible and condemnation of adultery while in the company of his final victim, Bible John is thought to have murdered three young women – Patricia Docker, Jemima MacDonald and Helen Puttock – between 1968 and 1969 in Glasgow, Scotland.

He has never been found, although several suspects have been linked to the case, including convicted serial killer and rapist Peter Tobin, but this was eventually disproved by DNA evidence.

Bible John joins the likes of...

Zac Efron and Jeremy Allen White have both been training in the gym, and now they’re ready to step into the wrestling ring.

The trailer for A24’s upcoming sports biopic “The Iron Claw,” starring Efron and White, has just been unveiled. Directed by Sean Durkin, the film follows Efron as wrestler Kevin Von Erich, or the Golden Warrior, a member of the famed Von Erich wrestling dynasty. White co-stars as Kerry Von Erich, Kevin’s brother who also competed in the heavyweight division. Holt McCallany stars as Fritz Von Erich, Kevin and Kerry’s father who was a three-time world champion. The film explores the family members’ lives and will depict the rise and fall of the influential wrestling family. It also stars Lily James, Maura Tierney, Harris Dickinson and Stanley Simons.

Prior to the release of the trailer, the film had already garnered attention as both Efron...

Officer Sean Roman's departure from Chicago Pd in season 3 was due to a combination of character development and actor Brian Geraghty's desire to pursue other projects. Roman's retirement from the police force was a result of being shot on duty, leaving him with nerve damage in his arm and unable to continue working in the field. Despite leaving the show, Roman returned for an episode in season 7, where it was revealed that he had killed the drug dealer responsible for his sister's death, leaving viewers questioning his hero status.

Officer Sean Roman quickly became a core member of the cast of Chicago Pd after joining the Dick Wolf show in season 2 ― but only made it to season 3 before leaving the series. Roman, played by Brian Geraghty, underwent a lot of character development in his short time on the show, but his exit meant a lot more potential went unfulfilled.

Sometimes, when you’re looking to be entertained, only a thriller will cut it. If you ever find yourself feeling like life is getting inexplicably dark, and morality is becoming more ambiguous, immersing yourself in a tense world of serial killers, terrorists, and crooked sleazebags of all kinds is a pretty great form of escapism. The genre is broad enough to encompass a wide variety of tropes, so you could probably watch thrillers forever and never get bored.

Netflix’s thriller offerings are surprisingly well-rounded, offering a good mix of undisputed classics from the likes of Quentin Tarantino and Paul Greengrass as well as newer indie flicks that you may have missed. Whether you’re looking to revisit an old favorite, fill an embarrassing gap in your movie knowledge, or find something new and cutting-edge that will blow your mind, the genre always has something for you. Keep reading for...

David Tennant took on one of his darkest roles to date when he played Dennis Nilsen – the notorious “Muswell Hill Murderer” who killed at least 12 young boys and men in North London from 1978 to 1983 – in ITV’s Des.

Tennant was the latest in a long line of actors to dramatise the lives of some of the world’s most prolific murderers – and it’s easy to see why such a part would be appealing. Playing a serial killer allows an actor to show their range and move away from being typecast. For those who’ve gone before them, such roles have been known to make a career, winning Oscars, Golden Globes and Baftas for those who take them on.

However, portraying serial killers obviously comes with its own set of challenges. These are people audiences know well, so do they mimic them word for word or do their own interpretation,...

Metallica frontman James Hetfield is continuing to step forward into the world of acting.

Deadline has confirmed that the rockstar has been cast in the dark western thriller “The Thicket”. Based on a novel of the same name by author Joe R. Lansdale, the film has begun production in Calgary.

Read More: Metallica Unveils Heavy New Single ‘Screaming Suicide’

“The Thicket” is also reportedly set to star Juliette Lewis, Esmé Creed-Miles, Levon Hawke, Leslie Grace, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Macon Blair, Ned Dennehy, Andrew Schulz and Arliss Howard.

Peter Dinklage is directing the film, and it’s said to be a “longtime passion project” for the director. The movie’s premise revolves around a protagonist (Hawke) as he searches to rescue his sister Lula (Creed-Miles), who a violent killer has kidnaped by the name of Cut Throat Bill (Lewis). It is currently unknown what role Hetfield will play in the dark thriller.

Image Source: Netflix

Penn Badgley knows his "You" character, Joe Goldberg, tends to charm fans, but he's having trouble accepting the love that other violent antiheroes receive, too. When asked how he feels about people who are attracted to serial killers in an interview with "Entertainment Tonight," Badgley said, "You need to look at that, inside."

The actor went on to admit that he's begun to understand why fans sometimes have complicated feelings for Joe, noting, "To be fair, with our show, you're meant to fall in love with [Joe]." He also addressed Netflix for its role in making killers appealing, specifically referencing the streamer's recent limited series "Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story." "That's on us," Badgley said, adding, "Ted Bundy? That's on you. Jeffrey Dahmer? That is on - Netflix. That is squarely on the shoulders of Netflix."

"Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story" starred Evan Peters as the titular serial...

In the decades since the release of Mary Harron's seminal horror-comedy "American Psycho," the film has been meme-ified to death. There's a page on Know Your Meme that breaks it down, tracking the way internet users have made gifs of Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) flexing in the mirror during sex, cracked jokes about his love of Huey Lewis and the News, and turned his axe-swinging violence into pithy reaction images about having a bad day at work.

Rewatching "American Psycho," it's easy to see why the film has resonated for so long: it's very good! Harron turned Bret Easton Ellis' horror novel into a biting satire of '80s yuppie culture, featuring a cracking performance from Bale that is downright zany at times. Crucially, its horror sequences are also very effective; Harron finds real tension in moments like the one involving Chloë Sevigny and a nail gun. The movie...

"Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story" is the latest true-crime dramatization to feature a famously good-looking actor as an infamous murderer. Evan Peters stars as the titular real-life serial killer in the September 2022 release, following the likes of Ross Lynch as Dahmer in 2017's "My Friend Dahmer," Zac Efron as Ted Bundy in 2019's "Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile," and many others. But despite its high production value, successful ratings, and supposed aim to educate its audience, the series is sparking long overdue conversations about how true-crime dramatizations tend to capitalize on shock value, exploit victims while romanticizing perpetrators, and ultimately do more harm than good.

Jeffrey Dahmer was a serial killer who murdered 17 young men and boys between 1978 and 1991. He sought out his victims - mostly Black, Latino, and Asian men - at gay bars, bus stops, and malls, luring them into his home and drugging them before strangling them to death.

I literally stared into the abyss of evil and saw things most people shouldn’t see.” So Joe Berlinger, the director behind Netflix’s new Jeffrey Dahmer documentary, tells me over Zoom one sunny autumn afternoon. He is bespectacled with a grey beard and an avuncular whiff of Mandy Patinkin about him.

Through those glasses, Berlinger has seen more than his fair share of things most people shouldn’t. Conversations with a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes, is out this Friday. It comes, very intentionally, two weeks after Ryan Murphy’s controversial dramatisation of events – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, starring Evan Peters – hit the streaming platform. The Dahmer Tapes rounds off a trilogy of serial killer documentaries Berlinger has released over the past three years. His first subject was the most famous – the “charming” murderer, Ted Bundy. Then came John Wayne Gacy, another nightmarish American killer who sometimes dressed...

Image Source: Everett Collection

Portraying a real-life figure is not out of the realm for Zac Efron. The actor previously transformed into the terrifying but charismatic serial killer Ted Bundy for Netflix's "Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile," and now, he's returning to the screen in another true-story adaptation, "The Greatest Beer Run Ever." The upcoming Apple TV+ film is based on the 2020 memoir "The Greatest Beer Run Ever: A Memoir of Friendship, Loyalty, and War" by Joanna Molloy and John "Chickie" Donohue, the latter of whom is played on screen by Efron.

Directed by "Green Book" and "Dumb and Dumber" filmmaker Peter Farrelly, the movie follows Donohue as he travels to Vietnam at the height of the Vietnam War to bring beers to his friends in combat. Seriously. The plot itself sounds wild, so let's dig into the real story behind "The Greatest Beer Run Ever," which hits Apple TV+ on Sept.

This month, David Tennant will take on one of his darkest roles to date. In ITV’s Des, he plays Dennis Nilsen, the notorious “Muswell Hill Murderer” who killed at least 12 young boys and men in North London from 1978 to 1983.

Tennant is the latest in a long line of actors to dramatise the lives of some of the world’s most prolific murderers and it’s easy to see why such a part would be appealing. Playing a serial killer allows an actor to show their range and move away from being typecast. For those who’ve gone before them, such roles have been known to make a career, winning Oscars, Golden Globes and Baftas for those who take them on.

However, portraying serial killers obviously comes with its own set of challenges. These are people audiences know well, so do they mimic them word for word or do their own interpretation,...

David Tennant took on one of his darkest roles to date when he played Dennis Nilsen – the notorious “Muswell Hill Murderer” who killed at least 12 young boys and men in North London from 1978 to 1983 – in ITV’s Des.

Tennant was the latest in a long line of actors to dramatise the lives of some of the world’s most prolific murderers – and it’s easy to see why such a part would be appealing. Playing a serial killer allows an actor to show their range and move away from being typecast. For those who’ve gone before them, such roles have been known to make a career, winning Oscars, Golden Globes and Baftas for those who take them on.

However, portraying serial killers obviously comes with its own set of challenges. These are people audiences know well, so do they mimic them word for word or do their own interpretation,...

Christian Slater, Alia Shawkat and Kyle MacLachlan are among the latest round of casting additions to MGM and Zoë Kravitz’s “Pussy Island.”

Geena Davis (“Thelma & Louise”), Adria Arjona (“Morbius”), Haley Joel Osment, Liz Caribel Sierra (“God’s Time”), Levon Hawke (“The Crowded Room”), Trew Mullen (“Sunny Family Cult”), Saul Williams (“Akilla’s Escape”) and newcomer Cris Costa will round out the cast.

Previously, TheWrap reported that Simon Rex, hot off the success of A24’s “Red Rocket,” had signed on to star along with Naomi Ackie and Channing Tatum.

Also Read:

Simon Rex Joins Zoë Kravitz’s ‘Pussy Island’ With Channing Tatum at MGM

With a script penned by Kravitz and E.T. Feigenbaum, the film follows a Los Angeles cocktail waitress Frida (Ackie) as she makes her way into tech tycoon Slater King’s (Tatum) inner circle and private island fortress, where she finds that something sinister lurks beneath the luster.

Netflix has signed up Nicole Kidman, Zac Efron and Joey King to star in a currently untitled rom-com at the streamer.

The story is set to follow a surprising romance which kicks off comic consequences for a young woman, her mother and her movie star boss as they face the complications of love, sex, and identity. The film was recently greenlit and will shoot later this year.

‘Behind The Candelabra’ writer Richard Lagravenese will direct from a script he co-wrote alongside Carrie Solomon. Joe Roth, Jeff Kirschenbaum and Alyssa Altman are producing for Roth/Kirschenbaum Films.

Also in news – Lady Gaga in talks to join ‘Joker’ sequel

Kidman has had a pretty busy time of it late, starring in Hulu series ‘Nine Perfect Strangers.’ She followed that up with her Oscar-nominated role as Lucille Ball in ‘Being Ricardos.’

Efron’s recent offerings saw him play Ted Bundy in ‘Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile...

On Friday the 13th, Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Productions have taken the opportunity to release a horror film of their own on the unofficial horror holiday: “Firestarter.” Based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King, this new update finds Zac Efron stepping into the role of the father of a young daughter who develops pyrokinesis.

But as the moviegoing world has shifted significantly since the pandemic, “Firestarter” isn’t exactly getting the most traditional of releases. Read on for everything you need to know about how, when and where to watch the “Firestarter” remake.

Is “Firestarter” in theaters or streaming?

Both! “Firestarter” was released Friday, May 13 in theaters but is also streaming exclusively on Peacock on the same day.

There are three different tiers for Peacock content – a free version, Peacock Premium with limited ads for 4.99/month and Peacock Plus with no ads and offline viewing for 9.99/month.

U.K. based Independent Entertainment, which develops, finances, produces and sells independent features, has expanded to Los Angeles, Variety can reveal.

Independent has tapped former Voltage Pictures executive Marc Hofstatter to run the L.A. operation, which marks the first time the company has had a dedicated U.S. presence. His official title will be head of acquisitions.

Before joining Independent Entertainment, Hofstatter was an in-house producer at Voltage, where he worked on Jessica Chastain thriller “Ava” and “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile” among other projects. He also exec produced “V.F.W” and founded the company’s TV slate. Prior to that Hofstatter worked at Indigogo as head of film, overseeing acquisitions and business development.

Independent Entertainment has also promoted long-standing executive Sarah Lebutsch from head of sales to managing director of international sales. Lebutsch has represented films including “We Need to Talk About Kevin,” “Moon” and Banksy...

The true-crime genre, either podcasts or documentaries or documentary series, is proving to be quite the boon for streamers and anyone who places a premium on churn and time spent. Adjacent to that genre is the true-crime serial killer genre, and Netflix and filmmaker Joe Berlinger are going all-in on it. After directing two Ted Bundy projects, “Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes,” and the drama film “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile,” starring Zac Efron as Bundy, Berlinger is returning to the streamer for another ‘Conversations With A Killer’ series, but this time on notorious John Wayne Gacy.

Continue reading ‘Conversations With A Killer: The John Wayne Gacy Tapes’ Trailer: Joe Berlinger Returns With Another Netflix Serial Killer Doc Series at The Playlist.

Netflix has unveiled the next installment of the “Confessions with a Killer” documentary series, this time focusing on serial killer John Wayne Gacy.

The trailer for “Confessions with a Killer: The John Wayne Gacy Tapes” finds the infamous murderer telling the chilling story of his crimes in his own words, buoyed by contemporary interviews with experts, witnesses and even one survivor who offers gut-wrenching testimony of his close call.

Gacy murdered 33 young men between 1972 and 1976, with the majority of his victims found buried beneath his house in the quiet suburbs of Chicago. In this Netflix docuseries, 60 hours of unearthed audio between Gacy and his defense team offers fresh perspective and new insight into the killer’s mindset and a deeper understanding of how he was able to operate for so long without getting caught.

The three-part docuseries aims to answer one simple question: how was a public figure like Gacy...

This far into his screen career, it shouldn’t be a revelation to anyone that Zac Efron can act. He’s shown canny comic chops in the “Neighbors” films, wounded all-American ennui in “We Are Your Friends” and “At Any Price,” even a credible against-type chill as Ted Bundy in “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile” — none of which has been enough to overtake his bland, floppy-banged, career-minting “High School Musical” persona in the popular imagination.

In “Gold,” an otherwise ordinary survival thriller from actor-director Anthony Hayes, Efron resorts to the same kind of extreme measures that fellow heartthrob Ryan Reynolds took to prove his worth in “Buried”: headlining a one-location genre piece so leanly conceived that it has scarcely anything to showcase but his commitment and grit. As a lone drifter guarding a precious quarry in deadly desert conditions in a faintly futuristic nowhereland, he’s good, as...

Based on actual transcripts of interviews between FBI analyst Bill Hagmaier and the then-incarcerated Ted Bundy, “No Man of God” resurrects an oft-told serial killer story with fresh blood in the hands of director Amber Sealey. The movie first premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year, and now is headed to theaters and on demand platforms on August 27 from Rlje Films. Watch the official trailer for the film below.

Here’s the synopsis: “In 1980, Ted Bundy was sentenced to death by electrocution. In the years that followed, he agreed to disclose the details of his crimes, but only to one man. During the early days of the agency’s criminal profiling unit, FBI analyst Bill Hagmaier met with the incarcerated Ted Bundy in the hopes of understanding the psychology of the serial killer and providing closure for the victim’s families. As Hagmaier delves into Bundy’s dark and twisted mind,...

There have been many dramas in which actors portray legendary true-life psycho killers, and the overwhelming majority of them are less than convincing. Every so often, though, an actor — through looks, skill, and temperament — will connect to the monster he’s playing in a way that’s so uncanny it seizes and chills you. Jeremy Davies’ performance as Charles Manson in the 2004 version of “Helter Skelter” was like that — it was the definitive Manson, sinuous and seething, even greater than Steve Railsback’s celebrated portrayal. Jeremy Renner, before anyone had heard of him, played Jeffrey Dahmer in the 2002 indie gem “Dahmer,” and he was remarkable: a lonely vacant nerd of horror.

Watching Amber Sealey’s “No Man of God,” which premiered yesterday at the Tribeca Festival, there are moments when you feel that same creepy frisson watching Luke Kirby play Ted Bundy; you feel as if he becomes him. The physical resemblance is uncanny,...

Director Amber Sealey, who helmed the new film about Ted Bundy, “No Man of God,” has responded to Joe Berlinger’s email accusing her of attempting to discredit his two films centered on the serial killer to gain attention for her release.

“It felt like he was trying to silence me, to let me know that his films and his work were more important than mine could ever be and it felt a little mansplain-y,” Sealey wrote to Variety in an email.

Berlinger directed the docuseries “Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes” and the film “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile” starring Zac Efron, both of which debuted on Netflix. Sealey’s film, “No Man of God,” premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on Friday in advance of its theatrical debut this summer.

In an email to Sealey obtained by Variety, Berlinger wrote: “Forgive the unsolicited advice, but...

Joe Berlinger is accusing Amber Sealey, the filmmaker behind “No Man of God,” a new film about Ted Bundy, of taking unnecessary potshots at the two films he previously made about the serial killer in an effort to generate attention for her movie.

The indie director, whose credits include both the Netflix docu-series “Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes” and the drama film “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile” which starred Zac Efron as the murderer, fired off a trenchant email to Sealey the day before her film premieres at the Tribeca Film Festival.

“Forgive the unsolicited advice, but after reading some of your interviews about your Bundy movie, I feel compelled to tell you that tearing down my work to promote yours is a slippery slope and intellectually dishonest and deeply offensive,” Berlinger wrote. “How did my film glorify Bundy? Do you know anything about me and...

Rumors have swirled for nearly a year that busy-as-a-beaver (and newly single) American actor Zac Efron would like to permanently relocate to Australia, where he’s spent much of the last year living in the popular, scenic and surf-centric town of Byron Bay. Now that he’s sold his longtime home in the celeb-saturated Los Feliz area of Los Angeles for $5.3 million, a good bit below the initial asking price of $5.9 million but still a nicely profitable amount over the not-quite $4 million he paid for the hillside home about 7.5 years ago, and dropped $2 million on a vast tract of unspoiled land Down Under, it looks like he just might.

The Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile star’s now former home in Los Angeles is privately squirreled away down a long, gated driveway on more than three-quarters of an acre of hillside property with staggering views that sweep over L.

A few years ago, before director-producer Joe Berlinger embarked upon making a docu series and narrative feature about Ted Bundy, he asked his daughters what they knew about the serial killer. Both were college-aged and “the prototypical Bundy victim,” he says, and neither one of them knew who Bundy was, let alone the extent of his crimes.

Although he was already seeing pushback on such projects, with many wondering why serial killers should get such large platforms, Berlinger felt it was important to make “people aware that this stuff really happens,” he says. “You can’t remind people enough that there are dark forces out there that one needs to guard against.”

That was part of the motivation for Berlinger doing the 2019 Netflix docu-series “Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes” and 2019 scripted feature film “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile” starring Zac Efron as Bundy.

The same belief...

Netflix has revealed the new series Crime Scene, which tackles the mythology of locations in contemporary crime. The first season focuses on the nefarious Cecil Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.

Directed by Joe Berlinger, the trailer contains footage of “Hotel Death,” explaining the murders and suicides that have occurred within its walls since the early Thirties. “Is there a room here that somebody hasn’t died in?” the hotel manager asks. “I never got used to that.”

The series also investigates the mystery of Elisa Lam, a Canadian college student...

By and large, Zac Efron has really focused on making people laugh in his roles on the big screen. Outside of his recent feature film, “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil And Vile,” where he played a serial killer, most people know Efron for films such as “Neighbors,” “Baywatch,” and even “The Beach Bum.” But it appears that he’s going to venture further into the realm of drama, going all the way into horror for an upcoming project, a remake of the film “Firestarter.”

Read More: Zac Efron To Star In ‘Three Men And A Baby’ Remake For Disney+

According to Deadline, Efron has signed on to star in the upcoming remake of “Firestarter” from Universal and Blumhouse.

Continue reading Zac Efron To Star In Blumhouse’s ‘Firestarter’ Remake at The Playlist.

Zac Efron will star in “Firestarter,” a new adaptation of Stephen King’s classic novel.

The film centers on a young girl who develops pyrokinetic powers and the ability to see the future. She is abducted by a mysterious government agency that plans to weaponize her superhuman skills. The film is backed by Universal Pictures, Blumhouse Productions and Weed Road Productions.

Efron, who first came to fame in the rosy “High School Musical” franchise, has shown his darker side in certain projects, playing Ted Bundy in “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile.” This feels in that vein. Efron’s other credits include “Neighbors,” “The Greatest Showman” and “The Paperboy.” He will next be seen in a remake of “Three Men and a Baby,” which feels very far removed from all things Ted Bundy and Stephen King.

King is a horror and fantasy giant, whose list of bestsellers include “It,” “The Shining,...

Zac Efron has signed up to star in the Disney remake of the 1987 comedy ‘Three Men and a Baby’.

The remake will head straight to Disney streaming service, Disney+. ‘The Way Back’ and ‘The Rookie’ producer Gordon Gray will produce. Will Reichel has written the script for the remake.

The original film was based on the 1985 French film ‘Trois hommes et un couffin’ and followed the mishaps and adventures of three bachelors played by Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenburg and Ted Danson as they attempt to adapt their lives to pseudo-fatherhood with the arrival of the love child of one of them.

Also in news – ‘John Wick’ 4 and 5 confirmed; to be filmed back to back

Directed by Leonard Nimoy, the film was a massive hit and even surpassed ‘Fatal Attraction’ at the box office. It went on to spawn a sequel in ‘Three Men and a Little Lady’ which saw the...

Zac Efron will star in a remake of the 1987 hit comedy “Three Men and a Baby” for Disney Plus.

Gordon Gray, whose producing credits include “The Rookie” and Ben Affleck’s “The Way Back,” is producing. Will Reichel has written the script for the remake. A director for the remake has not yet been set.

The original “Three Men and a Baby” starred Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg and Ted Danson as bachelors living a carefree lifestyle and sharing an apartment in New York City. The trio is forced to adjust to parenthood as an infant girl fathered by Danson’s character arrives at their doorstep.

That script, written by Jim Cruickshank and James Orr, was based on the 1985 French film “Trois hommes et un couffin” (“Three Men and a Cradle”). “Three Men and a Baby,” directed by Leonard Nimoy, was a massive success with $240 million in worldwide box office on an $11 million budget.

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil And Vile (2019) tells the chilling story of the notorious serial killer, Ted Bundy (portrayed by Zac Efron), and how his juridical process and imprisonment happened. Being based on true events, the movie can be particularly scary and uncomfortable, especially because of how well the infamous serial killer used to hide in normal life and the victim-hunting process.

Related: 10 Crime Movies You Wouldn't Believe Are Based On True Stories

This movie can be pretty intriguing and fascinating: how did Ted Bundy hide for so long? Why did he do such terrible things? If this movie left you wondering about True Crime and deviant personalities, here are some tv shows and real-life documentaries all about crime.

Unsated curiosity after watching a dramatization of real-life events — that rush to Google names, faces and dates — is quite frequently a validation of the importance or intrigue of a subject. But a movie like “Lost Girls,” about the victims of the never-found Long Island serial killer, highlights the possibility that some stories inspire questions because they aren’t especially well told.

Award-winning filmmaker Liz Garbus (“The Fourth Estate”) vividly captures the outrage and desperation of a mother seeking answers from indifferent authorities after her daughter disappears. Still, it’s hard to know if Garbus’ overwrought portrayal of these crimes and their aftermath depicts the actual investigation fairly, or if the former documentarian sacrificed accuracy for what proves to be short-term emotional effect.

Amy Ryan plays Mari Gilbert, an overworked blue-collar mom with two young daughters at home and her eldest, Shannan, living with her boyfriend Alex (Brian Adam DeJesus). Initially...

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today that 344 feature films are eligible for the 2019 Academy Awards.

To be eligible for the consideration, the films must open in a commercial motion picture theater in Los Angeles County by Dec. 31, and begin a minimum run of seven consecutive days. Academy rules also state that a feature-length motion picture must have a running time of more than 40 minutes and must have been exhibited theatrically on 35mm or 70mm film, or in a qualifying digital format.

Nominations for the 92nd Academy Awards will be announced on Monday, Jan. 13, 2020. The ceremony takes place on Sunday, Feb. 9, airing live from Hollywood on ABC.

“Abominable”

“Ad Astra”

“Adam”

“The Addams Family”

“The Aeronauts”

“After the Wedding”

“The Aftermath”

“Aga”

“Aladdin”

“Alita: Battle Angel”

“Always Be My Maybe”

“The Amazing Johnathan”

“American Factory”

“American Woman”

“Angel Has Fallen”

“The Angry Birds Movie 2”

“Anna”

“Annabelle Comes Home...

It is the best of times and, arguably, the trickiest of times when it comes to the documentary industry. There’s no doubt that 2018 was a banner year for documentaries at the box office with Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin’s Academy Award-winning “Free Solo” garnering $29 million; Morgan Neville’s “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” grossing $22.8 million; and Julie Cohen and Betsy West’s “Rbg” taking in $14.4 million. This year has not proven as stellar at the B.O. but Neon’s “Apollo 11” has had a healthy run. The film grossed $12 million worldwide and was the big winner at the fourth annual Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards, grabbing the documentary feature, editing and score prizes.

Non-fiction films have also gotten a big boost from streamers, undoubtedly raising the profiles of docs in recent years.

“The real impact of streamers is that they have brought documentaries to an audience that wouldn’t typically watch documentaries,...

In just over a year, Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s Imagine Entertainment has stealthily assembled a slate of nearly 20 documentary feature and TV series projects, with distribution partners such as Netflix, Showtime and Apple TV Plus in place.

The prestigious lineup features filmmakers and producers including Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio, Amy Berg, Morgan Neville and Howard himself. The subjects range from deep dives into icons like New York gossip queen Cindy Adams, star chef José Andrés, and former NBA star Dwyane Wade (now an agent), to penetrating looks at guitar hero Carlos Santana and last year’s wildfire that devastated Paradise, Calif.

Imagine’s documentary unit was founded in September 2018 and is headed by former RadicalMedia executive Justin Wilkes and longtime HBO Documentary Films senior vice president Sara Bernstein. The pair have been pulling their weight in an established film and television production company that has been investing heavily...

"The Maze Runner" star Kaya Scodelario feels every woman is powerful, damaged and a million other things, and that is what she wants to reflect in her work. The actress says she isn't interested in playing female characters that are just one thing, because they don't exist.

"For me, it is important (to essay a strong character) because it is realistic. That is the world I know. Every woman I know is strong in her own way," Scodelario told Ians in an exclusive sit-down interview.

Also Read:?Sebastian Stan flaunts his six-packs

"Every woman is damaged, ferocious, powerful and a million other things. They aren't just one thing. I have never been interested in playing female characters that are just one thing, purely because they don't exist," added the actress.

Since her breakout role in British teen drama "Skins", Scodelario has portrayed different women character dipped in hues of various...

Several well-received and highly anticipated new limited releases debuted this week, with Olivier Assayas’ “Non-Fiction” (IFC) opening best. The titles also included the documentaries “Meeting Gorbachev” (1091) and “Ask Dr. Ruth” (Magnolia), as well as Zhang Yimou’s epic “Shadow” (Well Go), but all continued the pattern of an underwhelming 2019 for specialized films.

This weekend also saw two top Sundance titles — “Knocking Down the House” and “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile” — debut on Netflix, with each getting minimal theatrical play.

Documentaries dominate specialized releases, with “Amazing Grace” (Neon) as the top-grossing title at the moment. “Booksmart” (United Artists) and “Late Show” (Amazon) open soon and both are wide releases that will benefit many specialized theaters. However, that immediately push for crossover audiences shows how challenging it is for key art houses.

Opening

Non-Fiction (IFC) – Metacritic: 81; Festivals include: Venice, Telluride, Toronto, New York 2018

$29,056 in 2 theaters; PTA (per theater average): $14,528

French...

The latest example of a thirsty meme circling the web is the renewed notion that Ted Bundy — the serial killer who confessed to 30 homicides across seven states — was smoking hot. And Netflix wishes you would please stop saying that.

The streamer’s Twitter account has posted a statement in response to online reactions to both their own documentary series “Conversations With a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes” and the new Sundance film starring Zac Efron, “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile.”

“I’ve seen a lot of talk about Ted Bundy’s alleged hotness and would like to gently remind everyone that there are literally Thousands of hot men on the service — almost all of whom are not convicted serial murderers,” Netflix said.

Of course, Bundy was certainly handsome. He specifically used...

Netflix has ordered “Conversations With a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes,” a true-crime docuseries about serial killer Ted Bundy.

The docuseries will be directed by Joe Berlinger, who is helming a separate scripted film about the serial killer, “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile,” which stars Zac Efron as Bundy, and will premiere at Sundance.

The four-part series will feature previously unheard audio of interviews with Bundy while he was on death row in Florida. This unique and gripping doc series focuses on the man whose personality, good looks and social graces defied the serial-killer stereotype, allowing him to hide in plain sight as he committed the brutal sex-crime slayings of more than 30 women before being caught in 1978. While on trial, Bundy received extraordinary adoration from American women, which made his gruesome crimes doubly haunting, even in an era of anything-goes mayhem.

It will premiere on Jan 24, 2019, 30 years after the date of his execution in Florida.

Quentin Tarantino’s Manson movie isn’t the only highly profile film on the horizon featuring a serial killer. Joe Berlinger’s “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile” casts Zac Efron as Ted Bundy, and the film is expected to be ready for a fall film festival debut after wrapping filming last month. Efron recently appeared on Entertainment Tonight and teased a little about what makes “Extremely Wicked” so memorable.

“It’s very interesting. I think the movie itself is really deep,” Efron said. “It doesn’t really glorify Ted Bundy. He wasn’t a person to be glorified. It simply tells a story and sort of how the world was able to be charmed over by this guy who was notoriously evil and the vexing position that so many people were put in, the world was put in. It was fun to go and experiment in that realm of reality.

Jim Parsons, Haley Joel Osment, Terry Kinney, and Dylan Baker have joined the ensemble cast on Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil And Vile, which Voltage Pictures sells internationally.

Voltage is fully financing the Ted Bundy film and announced it in Cannes last summer. Production is underway and Joe Berlinger directs from a screenplay by Michael Werwie.

The film charts the relationship between notorious serial killer Ted Bundy, played by Zac Efron, and his longtime girlfriend, played by Lily Collins, who at the time, had no knowledge of the crimes.

John Malkovich, Kaya Scodelario, Angela Sarafyan, and Jeffrey Donovan recently joined the cast.

Parsons will be playing Larry Simpson, the lead prosecutor of the 1979 Miami trial that finally convicted Bundy.

Baker will play David Yokum, the hard-nosed Utah prosecutor, while Kinney joins as Detective Mike Fisher, who sought to prove Bundy’s crimes.

Ara Keshishian and Nicolas Chartier are producing for Voltage...

“Maze Runner” star Kaya Scodelario has been cast to play Ted Bundy’s ex-wife, Carole Anne Boone, in “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile” an individual with knowledge of TheWrap. Zac Efron will play the notorious serial killer in the film that will be directed by “Paradise Lost” helmer Joe Berlinger. The film will be told from the perspective of Bundy’s longtime girlfriend, Elizabeth (who will be played by Lily Collins), who went years denying the accusations against Bundy, but ultimately turned him into the police. Voltage Pictures and Cota Entertainment are producing the project, alongside Michael Simkin and Jason Barrett of Efron’s...