Zac Efron and Amber Heard have been cast in ‘Autobahn’, a thriller in which the actor plays an American backpacker caught in the mix of a German drug ring.

The ‘Paperboy’ actor will play the lead role in the new action thriller directed by Eran Creevy, while the ‘Rum Diary’ actress has been cast as his love interest, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The film centers on an American backpacker in Germany who is hired to be a getaway driver for a gang of drug smugglers but when a job goes wrong, he decides to go on the run to escape his mobster employers, who hotly pursue him.
The film’s script was written by F. Scott Frazier and Creevy and it will be financed and distributed by IM Global, who announced the movie at Cannes Film Festival.

Producers on the project include Ben Pugh, Rory Aitken, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Chris Cowles and Chris Fenton.
Efron is currently filming the comedy ‘Townies’ with Seth Rogen and ‘Bridesmaids’ actress Rose Byrne, while he will next be seen in romantic comedy ‘Are We Officially Dating?’ and John F. Kennedy assassination drama ‘Parkland’.

[NOTE: Zac's part starts at the 16:08 mark in the video.]

Zac Efron may be loved by teenage girls around the world, but he’s trying his best to step away from his “High School Musical” days and focus on becoming a more well-rounded actor.

The 25-year-old has appeared in a handful of independent films over the last few years, including “Me and Orson Welles,” “The Paperboy” and more recently “At Any Price,” for which he attended the premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 19.

Efron briefly chatted with HuffPost Celebrity on the red carpet, admitting he doesn’t know how he became an “indie darling.”

“I don’t know,” he told reporters of what inspired him to make a commitment to films outside of mainstream production. “I’ve been doing a lot of interviews with Dennis [Quaid] and his words of wisdom are sort of just fresh in my mind. Dennis says the only role he sort of had for himself in this career is to do as many different types of movies as possible and never stop stretching or trying something new, particularly roles that challenge you. And working with great directors,” he added, “That’s really all I want to do.”

HuffPost caught up with Quaid at the screening as well, who coincidentally echoed Efron’s sentiments: “The only strategy I’ve ever had is to play as many different types of roles as possible.”

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Q: Was Zac Efron interested in NASCAR racing before filming At Any Price? —Megan P., Denver

A: “I was completely new to it,” says Efron, 25, whose character pursues a NASCAR career in the film (in theaters April 24). Despite his inexperience, Efron did his own driving. “They just put me in a car and said, ‘Go!’ At one point, I got up to 140 miles per hour. It was a rush!”

Online Extra: Which star did Zac Efron have a childhood crush on?

“I had a poster of Tyra Banks in my bedroom. She was the only girl I really had a crush on. Other than her, the rest of my posters were skateboards, BMX bikes, and Tony Hawk,” he says. Efron hasn’t met Banks yet, adding “I hope we get to hang out soon. [laughs] I haven’t gotten to meet her yet.”

Source: PARADE

When Zac Efron hurts, we hurt.

Fortunately, though, the handsome Townies star is on the mend. Thursday on Live With Kelly and Michael, Zac explained he was feeling better after sustaining a painful hand injury last week.

“I broke it a couple days ago on set,” he related, showing Kelly Ripa and guest host Carrie Ann Inaba his very swollen right hand next to his regular-size left one.

The 25-year-old star said the injury occurred “during filming, it was during a stage fight with Dave Franco.”

“I had to go back to work so I couldn’t really wear a cast,” he added. “So they [the medics] put like a titanium plate in it and a bunch of screws.”

“I don’t know why I’m telling you this,” he said. “My hand in theory is back to normal, it just looks really gross.”

Aw. There is nothing gross about that man!

Source: E! Online

On April 14, the MTV Movie Awards will feel the thunder from Down Under as “Pitch Perfect” actress Rebel Wilson stars as host of this year’s celebration of all things cinematical.

Additionally, Steve Carell, Zac Efron, Melissa McCarthy, Amanda Seyfried and Kerry Washington will also hand out Golden Popcorns to winners in categories including Best Shirtless Moments, Best Fight, Best Kiss and Best Musical Moment.

And the high-profile appearances don’t stop there. “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” actress Emma Watson (who’s nominated for three statuettes) will be on hand to accept the Trailblazer Award, which recognizes young actors who are carving their own unique and diverse paths in the film industry. And for the first time ever, MTV will be bestowing a Comedic Genius Award to “Anchorman: The Legend Continues” actor Will Ferrell, in honor of his ability to make us pee our pants laughing.

It all goes down live Sunday, April 14 at 9 p.m. ET from the Sony Pictures Studio in Culver City, California. You won’t want to miss a single second of the action!

Source: MTV

Zac is featured on the cover of Flaunt magazine’s Men’s Spring Fashion 2013 issue for April 2013, on newsstands now! Make sure to pick up a copy and to check out photos from the shoot in the gallery!

MAGAZINES & SCANS > FLAUNT (APRIL 2013)

On High School Musical: “But here’s the one thing about High School Musical, that a lot of people forget or don’t realize. It affected a lot of people, its resonance, culturally, was massive … and at the same time, it was in every sense of it, the luckiest break in the world. The wrong thing to do—and that’s what all these interviews now are trying to get me to say— is to turn on it, to like sh– on it, call it crap. But that’s insane. There are hundreds of people who began doing one thing when they were younger, who go on to develop and refine and shape their vision, as they get older, and other concerns—like fame, or money, take a back seat to other ones.”

On not complaining about his life: “The b—hiness doesn’t do anything. It just puts you out there and it makes you look unappreciative to your fans. If I’m talking to my friends, or somebody important who can have some influence on or affect the situation, that’s one thing, but to b—h about attention while getting attention? I’d be doing it to the very people whose job it is to get that information—who are watching me and have control over that information. Therefore, it makes them upset, they read it like it’s hypocritical, and so they spread some bullsh–. You should hear the chatroom sh– that gets said every time you try to complain. So that’s why I’m not going to complain. I will do a lot of things in my life differently to make sure it’s not known or tweeted about or photographed. But it’s a complete day-to-day situation. I mean, I wish I could sit here and be completely honest—but I guess that’s an even bigger responsibility—and it’d take a more courageous man.”

On making good movies for the studios: “It’s really tough. I feel like I’m in the trenches with them. It’s really hard because I respect these people so much. And they are some of the smartest people I’ve ever met. And they struggle more than I can even comprehend with the problem at hand—the dichotomy—the challenge of making good movies and making movies that people want to watch. And right now, being me, I personally know which ones I want to be in. I feel like the other way. S–t, I feel like I can be effective in one.”

Source: Flaunt Magazine