It’s been confirmed that The Iron Claw star Zac Efron will lead the cast of Angel Heart, an updated adaptation of William Hjortsberg’s 1978 book, Falling Angel, also serving as a remake of the first 1987 adaptation by director Alan Parker. This second retelling of Hjortsberg’s novel will be an HBO series with Jonathan van Tulleken credited as director.

Executive producers have been listed as Kate Susman, Marc Toberoff, Max Hjortsberg, Lorca Hjortsberg, Alice P. Neuhauser, Joe Hipp, Stuart Manashil, Kevin Turen and Harrison Kreiss.

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Angel Heart’s synopsis reads as a NYC-based paparazzi photographer who specialises in photographing individuals who have attempted to hide. He lands a job locating and photographing a missing woman, having been hired by a mysterious man, which leads down a dark route of supernatural implications.

The original adaptation from the ’80s starred Mickey Rourke, Lisa Bonet, and Robert De Niro, with Charlotte Rampling also appearing. It earned $17.2 million from its $18 million budget at the box office yet holds an 82% Rotten Tomatoes score from 34 critics, garnering praise for its authentic presentation of noir and hypnotic atmosphere. However, Angel Heart faced controversy and censorship for its depiction of nudity and sexual acts, something Parker cited as “blackmail” and something he was “responsible for” as he was given “creative freedom” when making the film. The director did eventually cut 10 seconds from the film to loosen the initial X rating, something he scoffed at as “pointless and an expensive exercise“.

The role will see Efron return to a darker performance following 2019’s Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, a biographical crime drama centred on the life and killings of Ted Bundy, who Efron played.

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