Efron to star in the remake of Snabba Cash

Posted on April 19, 2010
Filed Under Actors, News, Remake

The Hollywood Reporter posts that young actor Zac Efron is attached to star in and produce a remake of “Snabba cash,” the hot Swedish property that was the subject of a heavy Hollywood bidding war and has just found a home at Warner Bros.

“Snabba cash” is based on a novel by author Jens Lapidus and was a major hit in its home country this year. The thriller follows three interconnected storylines involving drugs and organized crime, with the main character a young man (played in the original by Joel Kinnaman) who hopes to strike it rich quickly by becoming a runner for a coke dealer. Efron would play the runner in the WB version.

Many producers and companies were vying for remake rights. The buzz began at the Berlin Film Festival, and UTA and Magnolia Entertainment threw a reception for the movie’s filmmaker Daniel Espinosa at the Hammer Museum in March and screened his movie. From then, offers started to pour in like easy money (which is what “snabba cash” means in Swedish) from Universal, Summit, Paramount, Fox, the Weinstein Co., Mandate and Warners.

This is a great opportunity for Efron to grow beyond the teen roles that made him a star. The project, the first acquisition for Efron’s shingle, also sends a signal as to the sort of high-level material with which Efron wants to be associated.

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