Metallica star James Hetfield has joined the cast of Zac Efron’s new Ted Bundy thriller Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile.
The heavy rocker will portray Bob Hayward, the first police officer to arrest the serial killer. Hayward pulled Bundy over for a driving infraction in Utah in 1975 and discovered odd tools in his car. The suspicious cop wisely decided to investigate further.
The role will be Hetfield’s first real acting experience – previously he has portrayed himself in TV and movie projects.
The film’s director, Joe Berlinger, previously took charge of Metallica’s acclaimed rock documentary Metallica: Some Kind of Monster and also wrote a book about the band.
Announcing his odd casting choice, the moviemaker says in a statement obtained by Deadline, “Having spent hundreds of hours behind the scenes with James and the rest of Metallica, I have experienced his charisma and powerful presence close up.
“It seemed only natural that he would bring that same power and magnetism to a dramatic role, so when he agreed to my pitch that he be in the movie, I was thrilled.”
The Enter Sandman singer joins a cast that includes Efron, Jim Parsons, Haley Joel Osment, Lily Collins, John Malkovich, Kaya Scodelario, Angela Sarafyan, Jeffrey Donovan, and Dylan Baker.
The Big Bang Theory star Parsons recently signed on to play Larry Simpson, who led prosecutors throughout the 1979 trial which ended with Bundy’s conviction, while Maze Runner star Kaya Scodelario will play the serial killer’s ex-wife and Collins his girlfriend.
“I am thrilled to be able to tell this story with many of my favorite actors, all of who bring the authenticity we want to tell this story,” director Berlinger adds.
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