Zac Efron fires up workplace comedy

THR EXCLUSIVE

By Borys Kit

Warner Bros. has picked up an untitled workplace comedy by Jason Filardi for Zac Efron to star in and produce. Adam Shankman and Jennifer Gibgot are in negotiations to produce via their Offspring Entertainment banner.

Attaching himself to the Filardi workplace comedy is the latest move for Efron, who set up his production shingle at Warners in February but has quietly been putting the pieces together with his manager, Alchemy Entertainment’s Jason Barrett.

The company now has a name — Ninjas Runnin’ Wild Prods. — and has staffed up, with former Fox executive Jason Young coming aboard as head of development and to act as point person at NRW. Young spent five years at Fox, working on “X-Men: The Last Stand,” “Live Free or Die Hard” and “Max Payne,” among other movies.

Angie Edgar, a former assistant and creative executive at Alchemy, has been tapped to act as NRW’s creative executive.

Barrett will oversee NRW’s operations with Efron.

The Filardi workplace comedy, on which Barrett also will be a producer, is a reuniting of the team behind “17 Again,” Efron’s high school body-switch comedy that grossed $136 million worldwide last year. The film allowed Efron to move beyond his “High School Musical” roots while trying to build on his core audience.  Read More>>

Source: Hollywood Reporter