“High School Musical” star Zac Efron grows up in “Charlie St. Cloud”
Are you ready for this?
Here’s the first official trailer for “Charlie St. Cloud,” a coming-of-age drama starring none other Central Coast native Zac Efron.
Based on the book by Ben Sherwood and directed by Burr Steers (“Igby Goes Down,” “17 Again”, the film follows a young man (Efron) so overcome by grief at the death of his younger brother, Sam (Charlie Tahan, “Nights in Rodanthe”), that he takes a job as caretaker of the cemetery in which his brother is buried.
When he meets Tess (Amanda Crew, “The Haunting in Connecticut”), a girl whose love of sailing rivals his own, Charlie is forced to make a choice — between keeping his promise to Sam and going after the girl he loves.
Kim Basinger co-stars as Charlie’s mom. The rest of the cast includes Ray Liotta, Donal Logue, Dave Franco, Chris Massoglia and Tegan Moss.
“Charlie St. Cloud” is a considerable step up for Efron, who only a few years ago was setting juvenile hearts aflutter in the “High School Musical” movies.
Although he’s dabbled in drama (“Me and Orson Welles”), the 22-year-old actor is best known for lighter, sunnier fare such as “Hairspray” and “17 Again.”
“Charlie St. Cloud” should give him the chance to stretch his dramatic muscles a bit, while preparing for a challenging roster.
So far, he’s got a spy thriller (“Fire”), an action-adventure flick (“Jonny Quest”) and a drug thriller (a remake of Sweden’s “Snabba Cash”) in the hopper. Not bad for a kid from San Luis Obispo.
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“Charlie St. Cloud” opens in theaters on Oct. 15. Stay tuned!
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