Zoey Deutch, of Vampire Academy fame, will be joining Zac Efron and Robert De Niro in the comedy film Dirty Grandpa. The film will be released by Lionsgate with Dan Mazer directing. The screenplay was written by John Phillips and is centered on an uptight man named Jason, played by Efron, who drives to Florida for spring break before his wedding. De Niro will be playing Jason’s father, a foul-mouthed former Army general who joins his son for the road trip. Deutch will be playing Efron’s love interest, an “earthly environmental advocate” named Shadia.
Deutch is slowly but surely making a name for herself in Hollywood, starring in several high profile films including the upcoming baseball film from Richard Linklater called That’s What I’m Talking About. Recently, she also joined Emile Hirsch and Zoe Kravitz in the crime drama Vincent-N-Roxxy. Last year, she starred in the film Beautiful Creatures as Emily Asher and she also appeared in the TV show Switched at Birth.
Vampire Academy’s @ZoeyDeutch joins 2016 Zac Efron/Robert De Niro comedy Dirty Grandpa http://t.co/xCs40oliwL pic.twitter.com/Gpx2xffUal
— Deadline Hollywood (@Deadline) December 10, 2014
Zac Efron, who started his career in Disney’s High School Musical, has proven himself to be a capable actor on the big screen as well. He was recently seen in the comedy films Neighbors and That Awkward Moment, but he has also been involved in several high profile drama films in the past. In 2013, he appeared in the ensemble drama Parkland, which focused on the events that occurred on the day of John F. Kennedy’s assassination. He also received rave reviews for his performance in The Paperboy back in 2012.
Efron’s next project is the film We Are Your Friends, about a DJ struggling to make his first hit. The film is written and directed by Max Joseph, who made the critically acclaimed documentary 12 Years of DFA: Too Old to Be New, Too New to Be Classic about the iconic New York record label DFA records.