Zac Efron
Zac Efron, pictured here at the "Neighbors" premiere on April 28, 2014, was announced as the co-star of the upcoming "Baywatch" movie opposite Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Getty

With Zac Efron’s star on the rise, the 27-year-old heartthrob is starting to carve out some pretty impressive roles for himself. Now, after turning heads with his comedy chops on “Neighbors,” the actor has signed on to join Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in the movie adaptation of “Baywatch.”

Based on the hit 1990s TV show, which starred David Hasselhoff, Pamela Anderson, Yasmine Bleeth, Carmen Electra and David Chokachi, “Batwatch” will be a retelling of the lifeguarding story. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the new film will star Johnson as a very serious and by-the-book lifeguard at a California beach. He’s forced to partner up with Efron, a young hothead with a propensity for skirting the rules. Together, they’ll need to resolve their differences in order to save their beach from “environmental destruction at the hands of an oil tycoon.” In other words, the film will be a classic buddy cop story, but with much lower stakes since, you know, they’re lifeguards.

Johnson himself broke the news in a post on his Twitter page announcing both the casting of the former “High School Musical” actor, as well as the expected “R rating” on the upcoming film. According to Entertainment Weekly, Efron and Johnson will be directed by “Horrible Bosses” helmer Seth Gordon. The current incarnation of the script was penned by “Friday the 13th” writers Damian Shannon and Mark Swift.

As Screen Rant notes, the new role in the “Baywatch” reboot is perfect for the persona that Efron has carved out for himself in recent years as a comedic actor who pokes fun at his astonishingly good looks. He first brought quality in his performance to the table in 2014 with “That Awkward Moment,” followed by “Neighbors.” He’ll reportedly do it again with roles in films like “Dirty Grandpa” (opposite Robert De Niro) and “Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising.” It’s unclear if “Baywatch” plans to take itself seriously or be a campy remake of the TV show, but given Johnson and Efron’s pairing, the smart money is on comedy.

What do you think of a “Baywatch” movie starring Johnson and Efron? Comment below or tweet your thoughts to @TylerMcCarthy.

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