John Malkovich Joins Ted Bundy Thriller 'Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile'

Zac Efron stars as the notorious serial killer and Lily Collins as his longtime girlfriend in Voltage Pictures' feature, which Joe Berlinger is directing.

Oscar nominee John Malkovich has joined Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, the Ted Bundy serial killer thriller starring Zac Efron and Lily Collins. Malkovich will play Judge Edward Cowart, the man who presided over Bundy's sensational trial in 1979 and sentenced Bundy to death.

Efron will play Bundy with Collins co-starring as Elizabeth Kloepfer, the serial killer's longtime girlfriend. Joe Berlinger — best known for his Oscar-nominated true-crime documentary, Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory (2012) — will direct from an original, Black Listed screenplay by Michael Werwie.

Werwie's script tells Bundy's story from the perspective of his girlfriend, who allegedly had no knowledge of the murders while they were together but saw her boyfriend become America's most famous killer when his trial was nationally televised.

A two-time Oscar nominee (for In the Line of Fire in 1993 and Places in the Heart in 1984), Malkovich recently appeared in Deepwater Horizon. He also starred in Louis C.K.'s ill-fated I Love You, Daddy, which premiered in Toronto and was snatched up by The Orchard, only to be shelved following sexual misconduct allegations against the director. Louis C.K. has since moved to buy back the film from The Orchard. Malkovich, whose credits also include Dangerous Liaisons, Con Air and Red, is repped by WME.

Ara Keshishian and Nicolas Chartier are producing Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile for Voltage Pictures, which is fully financing and selling the film worldwide. Voltage introduced the project to international buyers at Cannes last year. Michael Costigan is producing for COTA Entertainment. Michael Simkin is producing for Efron’s shingle, Ninjas Runnin' Wild Productions. Ninjas Runnin' Wild's Jason Barrett and Jonathan Deckter are executive producers. Production is set to begin Jan. 18.