Zac Efron Does Nicholas Sparks in 'The Lucky One' [VIDEO]

Zac Efron toys with fate and destiny in The Lucky One, a film adaptation of Nicholas Sparks' novel of the same name.

The film's first trailer, mashed with commentary from Sparks and the film's stars, was released on Monday night.

In The Lucky One, Efron plays a Marine who finds himself in North Carolina in search of a woman he believes served as a good luck charm during his three years in Iraq.

Finding something like that, is like finding an angel in hell, Efron's character, Logan, says in the trailer, as shots of Iraq start to blend with the picturesque setting of North Carolina.

Logan is a different character than any I've ever created before . . . he is your very typical strong, silent type, and yet he's very loyal and he is being driven by compulsion to find this person, Sparks reveals in the featurette trailer.

The good luck charm woman is played by Taylor Schilling, whose last major gig was one season of the now-cancelled NBC medical drama Mercy.

Blythe Danner and Jay R. Ferguson (Castle, Medium) also have supporting roles in The Lucky One.

In recent years, Efron, 24, has tried to shed his High School Musical boyish looks and roles, appearing in dramas like Me and Orson Welles (2009) and Charlie St. Cloud (2010). In December, Efron will star in Garry Marshall's romantic comedy, New Year's Eve, opposite Michelle Pfeiffer, who appears to be Efron's love interest.

The High School Musical franchise, which included two television films and one feature film, remains Efron's most successful feat to date, with High School Musical 3 grossing more than $252 million at the box office in 2008.

If The Lucky One follows the footsteps of other movie adaptations based on Sparks' novels, the film should have a good run at the box office next spring.

To date, all five Sparks films, including The Notebook, A Walk to Remember and Dear John have enjoyed millions at the box office worldwide. The Notebook, starring Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, remains the highest grossing Sparks film of all time, with more than $115 million in ticket sales worldwide. Dear John, released in 2010, is a close second with $114 million.

The Lucky One, directed by Scott Hicks (Hearts in Atlantis, Snow Falling on Cedars,) opens in theaters on Apr. 20, 2012.

Scroll down to watch the trailer for Zac Efron's new film.