HBO and A24 are moving ahead with a new Angel Heart drama series, and Zac Efron is attached to star in and executive produce it. The project brings one of the more talked-about names in film and television into a new adaptation of a story that already has a long, complicated screen history.
That is why Efron’s name is drawing attention now: this is not just another producing credit, but a lead role in a high-profile series from HBO and A24, two companies with a track record of pushing prestige material. Zach Baylin is writing and executive producing the series, while Jonathan van Tulleken is expected to direct several episodes and also executive produce.
The new series is based on William Hjortsberg’s 1978 novel Fallen Angel and its sequel Angel’s Inferno. It follows a down-and-out New York City paparazzi who is hired by a mysterious man to find a missing woman, then gets pulled into a case involving a disappearance that may be covered up by powerful elites and something supernatural. The setup keeps the noir framework of the original property intact while opening the door to a broader series format.
Alan Parker’s 1987 film Angel Heart, which starred Mickey Rourke, Lisa Bonet and Robert De Niro, followed Rourke’s private investigator as he looked into the disappearance of a singer known as Johnny Favorite. Set in New Orleans and built around a series of brutal murders, the movie initially drew mixed reviews, did modest business at the box office and became known in part for an X rating that was issued over a graphic sex scene before it was cut down to secure an R rating. It later built a cult following, which is what makes the property attractive decades later.
The new version also fits into Efron’s recent run with A24. This is the third project for Efron and the studio after The Iron Claw and Famous, and The Iron Claw brought him some of the best reviews of his career while also becoming one of the biggest domestic box office draws A24 had seen at the time. HBO, for its part, already has experience with A24 through The Sympathizer, which starred Robert Downey Jr.
What remains unknown is the timeline. HBO and A24 are still developing the series, and van Tulleken’s expected involvement points to a project that is assembling key creative pieces before any public production schedule has been set. For now, Efron is the face attached to a revival that aims to turn a once-controversial cult film into a new prestige drama.
