High School Musical star Zac Efron is flying high in the first official image from the upcoming movie The Iron Claw. From A24, the film delves into the tragic story of the Von Erich family with Efron starring as Kevin Von Erich, the only one of six brothers who didn’t die at a young age. Playing the WWE Hall of Famer meant undergoing a body transformation to look more ripped than ever, and we can see that on display in the first image from the film shared by Efron on Instagram.
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A post shared by Zac Efron (@zacefron)
In the Instagram post, Efron says, “First Look at my latest project Iron Claw! Can’t wait to show you more…let’s go.”
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A post shared by Zac Efron (@zacefron)
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Before Efron shared this sneak peek, there were images from the set that had been taken of Efron that later leaked on social media. The photos went viral as there were many fans impressed with how Efron now looks like he would fit right in at WrestleMania. Seeing the actor actually delivering a dropkick in the ring even better seals the deal that he was a great choice to bring the pro wrestler’s story to life on the big screen.
The Iron Claw also stars Holt McCallany (Mindhunter) as Fritz Von Erich, the patriarch of the family who came to regret getting his children involved in the pro wrestling business. Also featured in key roles in the film as brothers of Efron’s Kevin Von Erich are Jeremy Allen White (Shameless) as Kerry Von Erich, aka the Texas Tornado of WWE fame, as well as Harris Dickinson (Where the Crawdads Sing) plays David Von Erich. Sean Durkin (The Nest) is the writer and director. A24 is producing with Tessa Ross, Derrin Schlesinger, and Harrison Huffman.
Kevin Von Erich Has Given His Endorsement to Zac Efron Playing Him
Vice TV
The real Kevin Von Erich, whose story was also covered in the Dark Side of the Ring docuseries episode “The Last of the Von Erichs,” has not met Zac Efron. However, he recently spoke about how he saw the set photos of Efron and he’s very impressed with how the actor looks. Von Erich endorsed Efron in the role, noting that his daughters are also happy to see the actor playing their father.
“It’s got to be a hard job,” Von Erich told TMZ. “It’s a lot of information, and a lot of time, and so, you know, they’ve got some tough work ahead of him. But I saw a picture of the guy, he looked great. I don’t think I ever looked that good. So, I think they’re going to be great. I’ll bet they do.”
He added, “I just saw this picture and he looks really good and muscular. He must really be working out hard. From the picture that they showed me at first, and the picture I saw the other day, he must really be working hard… My daughters love him, and so they think he’s the right guy to do it.”
The Iron Claw does not yet have an official premiere date.
