Zac Efron made his acting debut at 11 years old in a local production of Gypsy after his parents became aware of his singing talent. After making multiple theatrical appearances, he eventually earned guest roles on TV shows, including Firefly, ER, CSI: Miami, NCIS, and The Guardian. Following a series of cameo appearances on Summerland, Efron was cast as a regular, girl-obsessed Cameron Bale. In the television movie Miracle Run, co-starring Mary-Louise Parker and Aidan Quinn, Efron played an autistic child.

Efron first gained notoriety as the lead, alongside Vanessa Hudgens, in the High School Musical Disney Channel original movie, for which he received the Teen Choice Award for Breakout Star. In High School Musical 2, which shattered cable TV records with 17.5 million viewers, he played Troy Bolton once more. Efron played the lead in the comedies 17 Again and the fantasy romance Charlie St. Cloud. He also had a role in the wildly popular musical Hairspray.

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In High School Musical 3: Senior Year, which established a box office record for the highest-grossing opening weekend for a musical, he returned to his role as Troy Bolton. Efron eventually starred in the musical drama The Greatest Showman alongside Hugh Jackman and Zendaya. Efron’s career continues to thrive as he takes on roles that offer him variation and a unique resume. Here’s a look at Efron’s upcoming movies.

The Greatest Beer Run Ever — September 30

     AppleTV+

In Peter Farrelly’s The Greatest Beer Run Ever, Efron plays Chickie Donohue, a teenage merchant mariner from the Inwood neighborhood of Manhattan, who, in the year 1967, travels to Saigon and other locations to deliver cans of American beer to his neighborhood friends fighting in the Vietnam War. The journey’s absurdity is its entire purpose since Chickie, along with his buddies at home, believes that his soldier companions are fighting for a just cause. The real-life John “Chickie” Donohue, who made such a journey, is the inspiration for the movie and the friends to whom he brought warm beers survived the war, according to his interview with The New York Times. Just recently released on September 30, and therefore still deserving of recognition on our list, The Greatest Beer Run Ever can be seen on Apple TV+ with a subscription.

Untitled Netflix Romcom — Release Date TBD

     Warner Bros.

At the time of this writing, a currently unnamed Netflix romantic comedy starring Efron alongside Joey King is in post-production. Nicole Kidman will also be starring, while Richard LaGravenese will be directing. According to Deadline, the film tells the story of what happens “following 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.” Efron returns to Netflix with this movie, having previously appeared in Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile as serial killer Ted Bundy. We can only hope that this new Netflix offering will be just as successful for the actor. With limited information available, there is no telling when the movie will premiere and what it will actually be named.

The Iron Claw — Release Date TBD

     Paramount Pictures

Former professional wrestler Kevin Von Erich is anticipating Efron’s portrayal of him in the upcoming movie The Iron Claw. Von Erich told People Magazine, “It’s gonna be a hard job, I think, it’s a lot of information and a lot of time and so they’ve got some tough work ahead of them, but I saw of a picture of the guy and he looked great.” Von Erich started competing in wrestling competitions in 1976. Throughout his career, he won various awards, including the world championship. He was admitted to the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009 as a Von Erich family member. The movie follows the “rise and fall of the Von Erich family, a dynasty of wrestlers who made a major impact on the sport from the 1960s to the current day,” as stated by the official tagline from A24 Films. There is currently no information available on The Iron Claw’s release date. Production is still very much in progress, based on how slowly and gradually information about the final cast members has been revealed. A release date in 2023 appears possible, but we’ll have to wait and see.

Ricky Stanicky — Release Date TBD

     Lionsgate

A house in their neighborhood is set on fire by three teenagers as part of a joke, in the film Ricky Stanicky. The teens create a fake person, Ricky Stanicky, as the culprit in order to shift the burden. We discover, 20 years later, that they had been utilizing this alibi to escape every challenging circumstance in life. When their spouses press them to meet with Stanicky, they hire a performer to play the fictitious person, which leads to amusing antics. Efron and John Cena have reportedly both been contacted for the production, but writer/director Peter Farrelly claimed he is still in the planning stages. The movie is currently in pre-production with no release date announced.

Three Men and a Baby — Release Date TBD

     Universal Pictures

Disney is producing the remake of the 1987 comedy Three Men and a Baby. The reboot’s script was written by Will Reichel, and how they will update the classic story is currently unknown. The movie will depict what occurs when three bachelors are obliged to care for a child that one of their ex-girlfriends has left behind, which is similar to the original film’s premise. Disney has reportedly chosen Maurice “Mo” Marable to serve as the director. Efron’s involvement in the project marks a return to Disney for the actor, who rose to fame over ten years ago thanks to his breakthrough performances in the High School Musical films. Disney initially announced a 2022 release date in 2020, but that now seems not at all possible considering filming has yet to begin.