On a Thursday afternoon in April 2025, Dylan Efron, the younger brother of actor Zac Efron and a social media influencer, found himself unexpectedly stepping into the role of a real-life hero at South Beach in Miami. During his very first visit to the famous beach, Efron saw a frightening scene play out in the ocean.

As Efron described in the Brooke & Connor Make a Podcast, several women were in trouble in the water, their shouts for help ringing out along the shore. Efron was visiting South Beach with friends, including his “Traitors” co-star Sam Asghari and another friend named Brennon. As they walked along the beach, they noticed a group of five women who seemed to be in serious distress.

The women were waving their arms frantically, calling for help, while other beachgoers watched nervously. At first, Efron wondered if a shark might be the cause, but he soon realized the real problem was the powerful rip current pulling the women away from shore.

Zac Efron’s brother Dylan, saves two women at the Miami beach

Seeing the danger and noticing that no lifeguards were nearby, Efron and Brennon immediately jumped into action. Two of the women were closer to the shore and already being helped by someone else, but three others were farther out and in much greater danger. Efron, who is a strong swimmer, didn’t hesitate as he rushed into the rough water.

He fought against the strong currents, swimming out to reach the struggling women. He rescued one woman, brought her back to shore, and then went out again to save another. The final rescue was especially emotional. Efron spent a long time comforting the woman, who was exhausted and terrified, holding her in a reassuring hug until she had calmed down and was safe. Afterward, they simply walked away. The woman he saved was so grateful that she couldn’t even speak.

After the rescues, beach officials told everyone in the water to come back to shore. The situation ended without any further trouble. Officials later confirmed that the strong current was the reason the women had been struggling. While the scene had caused a lot of alarm at first, things settled down once the women were safely on the beach. Efron’s actions were completely spontaneous, driven by a strong sense of duty and a quick understanding of the danger.

Even though his heroic act wasn’t widely noticed at first, word of Efron’s rescue soon spread. This surprised Efron since he hadn’t shared the story publicly. One of the first people to reach out to him was his agent, who was both concerned and relieved after hearing what had happened.

Since High School Musical was released in 2006, ant which time you naturally memorized every word to every song ASAP, the cast has grown up. Two beloved cast are moms now and have to deal with the often humorous process of showing their kids the beloved franchise and explaining that, yes, they’re super famous. And, yes, the story is just as good as you were hoping for.

As it turns out, when Ashley Tisdale‘s husband Christopher French put on the movie for their three-year-old daughter Jupiter, the little one had a memorable response. Tisdale said on the Breaking Beauty Podcast, ‘“She thought Zac Efron was her dad. I was like, ‘No, that’s not Daddy. Just cause they have dark hair, it’s not Daddy.”

Of course she did! Everyone loves the inspirational High School Musical star and his perfect hair and pretty jawline. But also… whoa. I’m just processing what it would be like to live in a world where Tisdale and Efron got married and started a family. For one thing, Efron and their other co-star Vanessa Hudgens dated for five years, so… it would be pretty awkward if he ended up with Tisdale. Or maybe not? After all, the actor spoke positively about his ex and Tisdale and said, “they’re going to be the best moms ever.”

Tisdale and Efron never dated, but did she harbor a secret love for him and imagine a life together after her daughter’s comments? Probably not. She said on the Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast that although she thought he was “hot” on his 2007 Rolling Stone cover, they were pals prior to filming High School Musical, and things were always platonic between them. She said, “He was way younger than me. He was like a brother, too.”

Tisdale said something similar in an Elle Magazine “Thirst Trap” video. She shared that she wasn’t a fan when she kissed Efron while filming an episode of The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. She said “I closed my mouth so fast” and “it’s the worst because I am so close to him.” Sorry. What?! Everyone all over the world just fainted when she complained about kissing Efron. Just kidding, it makes sense that she wouldn’t want to smooch someone who she considers a good pal. But still. It’s Efron!

The actress who became famous for playing Sharpay Evans also shared in her Breaking Beauty Podcast interview that Jupiter wonders about strangers snapping photos of Tisdale. She said it’s a tough question to answer. It must be awful to have to face the paparazzi when you just want to live your life and be with your kids and, you know, explain to them that their dad is not actually Efron. Imagine if Tisdale and Efron were experiencing parenthood together? The paparazzi photos would be out of control.

So, Efron might not be Jupiter’s dad, but the cast are all doing great. Hudgens and her husband Cole Tucker became parents in July 2024, Tisdale has two daughters, and Efron and his hair and jawline continue to star in awesome movies. And maybe one day Efron will be a dad. (Just imagine the hair.) For now, High School Musical fans can this funny and heartwarming story whenever they need to smile.

Some might think being the sibling of an uber-famous celebrity is a curse, but in the case of Zac Efron’s brother, Dylan, it’s certainly a blessing… not least to our eyes. 

The younger brother of the High School Musical alum is currently making a splash as a contestant on The Traitors, and while his surname is enough to catch attention on its own, Efron is adopting a new moniker thanks to his time on the reality series. If you’re not across the lore of the Traitors mansion, let me fill you in; Efron is one of 23 participant’s in the current third season of the Peacock show. 

He is what is known as a “faithful,” meaning it is his job, along with other “faithfuls” (grammatically incorrect, but not in the Traitors-verse), to sniff out and evict one of the four “traitors” in the mansion. It’s basically a televised version of Mafia, instead it’s filled with reality TV alums and tangentially famous participants, and not your black sheep cousin who hoped it was a drinking game. Anyway, Efron was fulfilling his “faithful” duties in a recent episode of the show and identified fellow contestant, Bob the Drag Queen, as a potential “traitor.”

Given her roots, this led Bob the Drag Queen to throw Efron off the scent by giving him a drag name. Liz Anya, perhaps? Anne Chovy, you ask? Or maybe Polly Esther? Nope, those are all lifted from my personal journal of drag names (which, for what it’s worth, would also suit Efron), but Bob bestowed the famous sibling with a name that was tied to his quest to unveil her as a “traitor,” and she landed on “Miss Guided.” Of course, it was Bob’s attempt to squash any speculation that she was not a “faithful,” and it saw her masterfully shut down all of Efron’s misguided (see!) speculation. 

Taking the stage name beyond the stage, fans were quick to notice that Efron went on to update the bio section of his Instagram profile, which now bears the same name as the one given to him on The Traitors. It’s followed by a nail polishing emoji, because on top of being so attractive it actually hurts (a deep, inexplicable stomach pain), Efron is also an ally. In any case, Bob’s efforts as a nomenclator were successful enough to divert attention, and she was spared from being banished by the broader group in episode three — which is particularly impressive given that she actually is one of the four traitors on this season. 

While Bob will live to see another day in the Scottish mansion (and Miss Guided will live on in perpetuity), Efron still has his eye on the drag queen, and confirmed in a confessional that he still believes Bob is a “traitor.” We will have to wait and see how this competitive spirit between the two players pans out for the rest of the season, which will hopefully include an impromptu drag show with Efron in full glam and a corset (a scene also lifted from my personal journal). 

Bob avoided ing the participants who have already been eliminated this season, including Dorinda Medley of The Real Housewives of New York, Wells Adams of The Bachelor, Chanel Ayan of The Real Housewives of Dubai, and Survivor alum Tony Vlachos. Alongside Bob and Efron, the broader cast of this season includes Tom Sandoval, Chrishell Stause, Robyn Dixon, and Britney Spears’ ex, Sam Asghari. Oh, and it’s hosted by Alan Cumming, whose perpetually iconic costumes are a drag show in their own right.

Zac Efron may be all grown up now (and, whoa, does he have some muscles), but no one can ever forget his performance as Troy Bolton in High School Musical. And, as it turns out, two young actors whose stars are rising were also so heavily influenced by this iconic character that they decided to pursue their big acting dreams.

Drew Starkey told Dazed Digital, “I got a little bit of Troy Bolton in me.” Like the teen who put Efron on the map, Starkey shared, “basketball was my first love.” He explained that he spoke to his father, the Kent State University women’s basketball coach, about the path he wanted his life to take. He said, “No, Dad, I want to sing and dance, you know, I’m meant to be an actor.”

HSM fans loved hearing this. One X wrote, “troy is truly one of the most influential characters in cinema history.” She added, “girls wanted to be with him, boys wanted to be him.” Another X asked, “when are we going to talk about the impact troy bolton has on our society.”

Starkey isn’t the only one who loves Troy! Efron’s The Iron Claw co-star Harris Dickinson shared in an interview with Variety that Efron’s performance helped him figure out what he wanted to do with his life. He was torn between the Marines and theater and said, “this is incredibly cheesy and vulnerable – but I thinking, ‘Oh, if Troy Bolton can do it…'”

It’s not a surprise that both actors were so influenced by Troy. Picture this: the year was 2006, the first High School Musical movie premiered on the Disney Channel, and Efron’s character’s swagger and sweetness was clear from his first introduction.

Like many teen drama characters who came before and after him, Troy is a talented athlete who also can seriously sing. His love story with Gabriella Montez (played by his now ex Vanessa Hudgens) was a key part of the plot. But Troy’s athletic prowess and musical talent were always at war with each other. His ultimate decision to let himself love both these parts of himself was one of the most moving parts of the last movie. And let’s not forget his perfectly swoopy hair. It just fell so nicely on his forehead. There is always so much nostalgia in the air for High School Musical that it’s no wonder fans continue to wonder if a new movie will be made.

It looks like Troy cast a magical spell on Starkey and Dickinson, whose careers are both more than a little bit impressive. The former starred in the teen dramas The Hate U Give and Love, Simon along with the 2024 William S. Burroughs novella adaptation Queer. And no one can forget his turn as Rafe Cameron on Outer Banks. The latter is currently getting everyone talking as Nicole Kidman’s much younger love interest in Babygirl and also appeared in the 2023 miniseries A Murder At The End of the World.

Dickinson was born in 1996 and would have been 10 when the first HSM film came out, and Starkey, who was born there years earlier, was 13. Those were the perfect ages to be motivated by a teenage character’s coming-of-age storyline and desire to follow his two dreams. And now we’re all reminded to rewatch the whole High School Musical series from start to finish. That’s never a bad idea.

Sabrina Carpenter is proving herself as one of the most in-demand emerging talents in the music industry. Her brand of pop music is catchy and playful, and her music videos are already creating hype. But have you ever wondered which celebrities the “Taste” singer looked up to before she became the mega-famous star she is today?

If this is a question you have asked yourself, then you’re lucky because Carpenter gave the answer in her interview with W Magazine. “It’s funny, all the posters on my wall were women,” she confessed. The star listed several relatable girl crushes, including Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, and Ariana Grande. But her biggest crush was none other than Zac Efron.

“I had a really dangerous Zac Efron phase when he was playing Link in Hairspray,” Carpenter said in the interview. “He was dancing, and he was singing, and that’s obviously up my alley, and I love hair, and I was blown away.”

When Carpenter was a preteen, she also got the chance to meet Efron. She recalled approaching him on a beach and complimenting his work. “He gave me a hug, and I being like, ‘Oh my god, he wasn’t wearing a shirt, and he gave me a hug.’” The thought that went through her mind was: “I’m never washing my body.”

She referred to the moment as “amazing,” and we can imagine the encounter really was that, given how enthusiastically she spoke about it 13 years later.

Fans react to Zac Efron being the ultimate teen crush

Sabrina Carpenter’s Zac Efron-loving days may be over, but the same cannot be said for other fans. The comment section of the interview, which was shared on TikTok by W Magazine, is filled with people telling whoever wants to listen just how incredible the actor still is.

Efron is versatile in his performances, and it’s not hard to see why people would be drawn to him. He is also genetically blessed, which is a bonus. “Zac Efron collectively being everyone’s crush just makes sense,” a fan wrote. Their comment has been liked over 50,000 times in agreement. “We were supposed to leave the zac efron phase????” another questioned.

Other reactions include “lmao she’s so real for the zac efron story,” “zac efron is my first and forever celebrity crush,” and “‘I’m never washing my body’ she’s so real for that.” And some fans still dream of one day ending up as Zac Efron’s significant other. “Zac Efron still not having a partner rn is dangerous for my deluluness,” a comment reads.

If Zac Efron hugged you, sans shirt, would you also think it would be a great idea never to shower again?!

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Zac Efron is no stranger to spending time in the hospital.

As he explained to Men’s Health in 2022, he had surgery because the masseter muscles in his jaw grew too big after a near-fatal accident in which he hit his face on the corner of a granite fountain at his house, having slipped on the floor while running in socks. He also said he had torn his ACL, dislocated his shoulder, broken his wrist, and thrown out his back. Moreover, in 2019, he contracted a serious and potentially life-threatening illness — a “form of typhoid or similar bacterial infection” — while filming his adventure series Killing Zac Efron in Papua New Guinea (as per CBS).

TMZ reports that he was hospitalized again on Aug. 3, 2024. So what happened on this occasion that resulted in the High School Musical and The Iron Claw star needing immediate medical care?

How did Zac Efron end up in the hospital this time?

Zac Efron was taken to a hospital on the island of Ibiza, Spain, after an unspecified incident in a swimming pool on the night of Friday, Aug. 2.

The incident was described as “minor” by his representatives, and his hospital visit was described as “precautionary.” Still, he had to be pulled out of the pool by employees of the villa he was staying in after he came into distress of some sort, and they found him in there.

Although it certainly doesn’t sound “minor,” TMZ reports that Efron is doing fine and was released from the hospital on the morning of Saturday, Aug. 3.

The actor is currently vacationing in Europe, taking a much-needed break from the stresses of a Hollywood actor’s life. We hope he’s fully recovered from his pool ordeal and enjoys the rest of his trip. When he returns to work, one of his projects includes a reboot of the classic 1987 comedy movie Three Men and a Baby.

Nicole Kidman and Zac Efron reunite in Netflix’s most recent rom-com, A Family Affair, with The Act‘s Joey King playing Zara, the daughter to Kidman’s widowed writer Brooke and the personal assistant to Efron’s action movie star Chris Cole.

A Family Affair is far from revolutionary filmmaking but it is a near-perfect sample of its genre. It’s ballsy and funny without being over the top, and it’s got an unexpected fire burning behind each of its characters. The plot is reminiscent of another recent, fairly solid rom-com from a rival streamer — Prime Video’s The Idea of You with Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine — but where that movie amps up the romance side of things, A Family Affair goes the opposite route, with some genuine hilarity throughout.

Much like Hathaway’s character, Kidman’s Brooke is also bouncing back from a complicated ending to a long-term relationship and grappling with singlehood in her 40s. Similarly, much like Galitzine’s pop star romantic interest, Efron is the famous, younger man who brings adventure and excitement back into her life. The character of the daughter gains prominence in A Family Affair, with King’s Zara being the driving force for most of the conflict in the film.

We’re instantly introduced to Efron’s Chris Cole as one of the most famous movie stars on Earth, covering every major magazine and participating in internet staples like FirstWeFeast’s Hot Ones and Wired’s Autocomplete Interview. The film’s experienced mid-budget hit director Richard LaGravenese (Freedom Writers, P.S. I Love You) employs archive footage of Efron on red carpets and events in this opening montage, immediately blurring the lines between the real-life superstar and the mega-movie star he’s playing on screen, and, in doing so, adds these fascinating meta-layers to the film that feel almost out of place considering how light-hearted A Family Affair is really meant to be.

Through Efron’s spot-on performance, we slowly realize that Chris struggles with his public image and is frustrated by the path his career has wound up taking. He’s most famous for playing a terrorist-killing superhero/action star-type character in a mega-franchise that has contractually tied him down for years, held him to insane physical fitness standards, and whose story has evolved in such ludicrous self-feeding ways that an entire subplot of A Family Affair is dedicated to Chris and Zara bashing its script and scrambling to find a writer who will overhaul the whole thing.

The references to the real-life state of affairs in the American film industry are in-your-face obvious and never try to be anything else, but what’s fascinating is seeing Efron, a man of rare physical beauty who has been frequently typecast as The Hot One and limited to a certain type of Hollywood fanfare roles, play this character and say these words, especially after the masterclass in acting that he delivered in 2023’s The Iron Claw. The fourth wall breaks even further during a scene where Kidman and Efron, two stars whose physical appearances have visibly changed over the years, discuss plastic surgery, and the latter mentions a jaw surgery derived from an on-set fall, closely and seemingly intentionally mirroring the real actor’s own severe accident in his home in 2013.

We also learn that Chris has lost family and grown apart from his remaining relatives, which then led him to move to L.A. where he didn’t know anyone. After he became famous, he says, suddenly everyone knew him, but that didn’t change the fact that he had no real friends. Zara is the closest thing he has to a friend, and her mom Brooke soon becomes the companion he has been looking for for years. Still, before we come to understand all his struggles, we meet him only as a horrible boss to his personal assistant, to whom he constantly makes absurd requests, whom he threatens to fire every time she can’t fulfill them, and whose promises of a possible future production job he never fulfills. Oh, and he’s also a massive womanizer who treats his girlfriends like disposable trash. It’s easy to understand why Zara wants him nowhere near her mom. And, besides, your mom dating your boss is never a good idea.

On the other side of the coin, Brooke is struggling with writer’s block stemming from a stale romantic and personal life, all while experiencing complicated feelings of grief over her husband’s untimely death. Her biggest confidant is her editor and mother-in-law Leila, played by a brilliant and poised scene-stealing Kathy Bates. Zara still lives at home with her, but as with any young adult, communication is tricky between the two. Any comment Brooke makes is taken personally by her daughter, who is extremely self-conscious about the lackluster start to her career in the film industry.

The surprisingly introspective writing and character design in A Family Affair makes it easy to relate, empathize, and root for all three characters, even though their stories are framed by experiences so distant from those of the average Joe and plain Jane. This emotional connection is fundamental in a successful comedy and yet so often overlooked in favor of loud, flamboyant performances.

Even more surprising is the way the romantic storyline ends up paling in comparison to the individual character work. Rom-coms usually put most of their eggs in the romance basket, making their triumph dependent on the chemistry of its leading pair. In The Idea of You, Hathaway and Galitzine’s sizzling chemistry is a great cover-up for some of the blemishes in the film’s underdeveloped story; in A Family Affair, however, Kidman and Efron, who had previously played lovers in 2012’s The Paperboy, primarily exude best-friend energy even when they’re tearing each other’s clothes off. And while that is arguably this film’s weaker element, LaGravenese and breakout writer, Carrie Solomon were sagacious enough to buff up every other aspect of the film so that the full product was barely affected by the lack of sexual tension between its romantic leads.

Kidman and King are magnetic as mother and daughter, and a later scene where the younger woman apologizes to her mom for not seeing her as her own woman is a highlight in the film. Similarly, Efron and King are the comedic heart of A Family Affair, their improv-rich screaming matches effortlessly producing belly laughs — seeing as the film has its fair share of hilariously memorable one-liners, one wonders whether they are Solomon’s work or her stars’. The individual character growth is equally as satisfying and frankly superior to the level the genre has treated us to in recent years. There are no frustrating senseless decisions for dramatics’ sake and, although their journeys all follow formulaic frameworks of ups and downs, LaGravenese’s experience in the genre and Solomon’s greener yet innate understanding of it shine at every turn.

In short, A Family Affair might seem like more of the same empty goofiness from the outside, but once you watch it, it doesn’t take long to see why A-listers like Kidman and Efron would take on this unassuming Netflix rom-com.

Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens were one of the “It” couples of the late 2000s. However, they were very young when they dated, and Zac just proved both of them have grown so much with his latest comment about Vanessa’s pregnancy.

High School Musical is one of Disney’s most iconic live-action film series. Efron and Hudgens played Troy and Gabriella, and dated both in the trilogy and real life. The two broke up in 2010 and, while it didn’t end with a major drama, they weren’t exactly friends afterward.

In 2022, Hudgens was on the Awards Chatter podcast, and detailed their split for the first time. The actress showed her appreciation for having someone in her corner during their fast rise to fame, but also noted that she was jealous about all the attention Zac was getting at the time.

Now, almost a decade and a half after they broke up, Zac Efron addressed Vanessa Hudgens in a new interview.

Zac’s words about Vanessa are #goals

No one wants to be constantly reminded of the people they dated in their teen years or their early 20s. Unfortunately, high-profile celebrities don’t always get that luxury. Now Vanessa Hudgens is married to MLB player Cole Tucker, and she is expecting her first child, and Efron has moved on since, too. However, during a red carpet interview at the premiere of his new film A Family Affair, Efron also addressed the fact that his former co-stars, Vanessa and Ashley Tisdale, are pregnant at the same time. Tisdale is currently expecting her second baby with husband Christopher French.

“Oh they’re going to be the best moms ever,” he excitedly told Access Hollywood on the carpet. “Those girls, are you kidding me? Oh my gosh. Yeah, we’re going to have some fun family reunions coming up.” Although Zac & co sang “We’re All in This Together” in High School Musical, the question was 50 shades of awkward. However, Zac handled it like a pro, and we have to it, this shows growth. Plus, our Zanessa hearts can sigh peacefully about them falling into a respectful friendship.

The universe saw how much we were all still struggling to cope with The Iron Claw, and decided to send us the most hilariously adorable puppy pictures ever.

Yes, Zac Efron‘s performance in the devastating sports drama was memorable (and deserved that Oscar nomination, goddamn it), but then so was his hairstyle. Every film fan re where they were when the first pictures of the actor’s time on the set of The Iron Claw came out. The shaggy bowl cut, the short jorts, and the type of brawn that would make He-Man jealous.

Curiously, the casting for a live-action Masters of The Universe film was recently announced, and netizens were shocked Efron wasn’t the studio’s immediate choice. The Idea of You‘s Nicholas Galitzine got the part instead.

I know what you’re thinking — “Where is that puppy? I came here for the puppy!!.” You would be absolutely correct, but we needed you to see those set pictures of Zac Efron first to understand just how accurate the comparison is. Either way, you should definitely watch The Iron Claw if you haven’t. When a movie is heartfelt and poignant enough to make an outfit that ridiculous cause tears instead of giggles, then you know it’s Best Picture material. But enough of The Iron Claw propaganda. Here’s the puppy!

As one commentator astutely captured, “Paw. The Iron PAW. You had one chance and you blew it!.” Now we’re going to need to see a remake of Sean Durkin’s film starring this superstar, as well as puppy substitutes for Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, and Stanley Simons. In the meantime, you can find us watching the guys’ BuzzFeed puppy interview.

We have our new Fantastic Four, there’s no doubt about that, but what there is doubt about is how much Marvel is actually going to use the superhero quartet we thought were going to be all over the MCU following their introduction in July 2025’s The Fantastic Four.

Don’t take it as a sure thing just yet, but rumors — which gel with everything else we’ve heard about the film’s storyline, to be fair — are claiming that Avengers 5 (aka The Film Formerly Known as The Kang Dynasty) will not feature any of the fabulous foursome. That’s right: Don’t expect to see Pedro Pascal (Mr. Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby (Sue Storm), Joseph Queen (Human Torch), or Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Thing) team up with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in the big Marvel event.

If you ask us, that’s a huge waste of potential given that Avengers 5 must match up to the cross-the-streams extravaganza that was Avengers: Infinity War. But, OK, we get it, Pedro and pals are very busy people. Thankfully, there’s a little thing called the multiverse at play, which could allow Marvel to introduce a whole other variant team of Fantastic Four heroes across both Avengers 5 and Secret Wars.

John Krasinski has already turned up as Earth-838’s Reed Richards, so we know it can be done. In that vein, why couldn’t varying squadrons of Marvel’s First Family assemble before the Avengers meet the actual motley crew? Let’s keep the fancast-to-reality trend going and bring in all the Fantastic Four possibilities as the Multiverse Saga builds to its (hopefully) stunning climax. Kevin Feige, if you’re looking for ideas, here are some free of charge — excepting a six-figure consultant’s fee, but we’ll discuss that later.

The Driver team

when we were all convinced that Adam Driver was going to be the MCU’s Reed Richards? That was wild. Well, it can still conceivably be made canon thanks to the multiverse. If we were to build a variant team around him, Adria Arjona would make a great Sue. She reliably gives her all to every project she’s in (see Andor) and she truly deserves another crack at the Marvel whip after Morbius. Meanwhile, Jay Lycurgo has already stormed the DC multiverse thanks to Titans and The Batman, so ticking the MCU off his to-do list as Johnny Storm only makes sense. Last but not least… Jack Black as the Thing. I mean, that says it all, right? The defense rests.

The Badgley team

Want another walk down memory lane? Forget Driver ⏤ at one point, the whole internet was certain that Penn Badgley, Jodie Comer, Joe Keery, and Jason Segel had been officially cast as the Four, with Badgley and Comer as Reed and Sue, Keery as Johnny, and Segel as Ben Grimm. They did make for an intriguing ensemble, so it would be rather fun to see them suit up for a brief cameo in Secret Wars. Comer already has previous practice doing this in Disney movies after her Rise of Skywalker role. That said, it might be creepy to see Comer and Keery play siblings after being love interests in Free Guy.

The fans’ dream team

Fans have been salty about how John Krasinski‘s Reed was treated ever since Wanda turned him into spaghetti in Doctor Strange 2. Similarly, it was also a bit of a bummer that Marvel didn’t complete the dream team by having him share the screen with IRL wife Emily Blunt as Sue. There’s still time to put this right, though, before the Multiverse Saga calls it quits. As for who could be their cohorts, John Boyega was always a popular choice for Johnny, and Disney still owes him for doing Finn dirty. And Alan Ritchson would be a perfect Thing, assuming James Gunn doesn’t hoover him up as Batman first.

The near-misses team

If Secret Wars really does become a way for Marvel to apologize to all the actors it’s failed to cast over the years, then this lineup would make a lot of sense for a variant Fantastic Four. Jamie Dornan is the kind of actor whose name gets thrown around for various superhero roles, but he’s never taken one to date. Amanda Seyfried was almost Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy. Zac Efron was everyone’s top pick for Adam Warlock, and Seth Rogen feels like a Marvel cameo waiting to happen. So make it happen, Marvel!

The so-wild-it-just-might-work team

The exhilarating thing about the concept of Marvel introducing another Fantastic Four team for a scene in Secret Wars is that they can make some bizarre, yet winning, actor pairings. So how about Jason Sudeikis as Mr. F, Kevin Hart as The Thing, the internet’s boyfriend Jacob Elordi as Human Torch, and Ryan Reynolds’ other half Blake Lively as Sue. And, yes, in this imaginary scenario, Deadpool would get to meet this Sue variant and probably have a crush on her. It’s the Green Lantern reunion we’ve all been waiting for. You’re welcome.

The curveball team

On a similar theme, Marvel could ignore all your fan casts and hire whoever they like to play the FF for five seconds of screentime and watch everyone’s jaws drop. John Cho could be a brilliant yet completely unexpected Mr. Fantastic and Jessica Chastain definitely deserves another shot at a Marvel role after Dark Phoenix let her down. Liam Hemsworth is long overdue for a spot in the MCU after losing Thor to his brother and Peacemaker has proven that John Cena is a better actor than we realized.

The refreshing team

In a similar vein, it would be really refreshing to have a Fantastic Four made up of these four actors. Despite Marvel’s increasing interest in diversifying its cache of characters, the studio still went with a fully Caucasian cast for the FF reboot. It could always put that right by having a variant team made up of people of color ⏤ like, say, Dev Patel, Constance Wu, and Terry Crews, all of whom would be amazing additions to the franchise. And John David Washington would just be keeping things in the family after his dad becomes Kang (we can dream, can’t we?)

The internet-breaking team

The ultimate aim with any cameo in a Marvel movie is to grab our attention, right? In this case, Marvel should absolutely find a spot for these guys in Avengers 5 and 6, as social media might just spontaneously combust if it does. Imagine Bridgerton heartthrob Regé-Jean Page turning up as one of the Council of Reeds? Or X-Men alum Jennifer Lawrence randomly returning to the Marvel multiverse as Sue? Meanwhile, Outer Banks fave Rudy Pankow has a lot of feral ers while the hilarity of casting the actual Rock Dwayne Johnson as the rock-based the Thing speaks for itself.

To be clear, The Fantastic Four cast we do have is terrific, but there’s no harm in kicking up a storm by multiplying their number a few times, is there? It’s not called the Multiverse Saga for nothing, after all!

A celebration of one of wrestling’s most prominent families headed to the big screen in 2023, in the form of The Iron Claw.

The film tells the story of the Von Erich family. Well, technically it tells the story of the Adkisson family, pro wrestlers who took on the Von Erich moniker in honor of their father, who first took to wrestling in the ’50s.

This family’s had a massive impact on the wrestling world and their gripping, tragic tale ensured the movie was met with considerable hype. But these men are known for their impressive statures and fans were excited to compare the heights of the film’s cast to their real-world counterparts.

Who’s in The Iron Claw?

Even without the captivating story of the real-life Von Erichs to lean on, The Iron Claw is audience bait. That’s largely due to its stellar cast, which highlights stars like The Bear‘s Jeremy Allen White, The Greatest Showman‘s Zac Efron, Beach Rats‘ Harris Dickinson, and Mindhunter‘s Holt McCallany.

White and Efron serve as the film’s leads, displaying flawless chemistry as they bring brothers Kevin and Kerry Von Erich to life. They certainly look the part — that awful hair is a perfect replica — but they can’t match everything about the real-life siblings.

In the real world, Kerry and Kevin stand at the same height, an impressive 6’2″. Movie magic can do a lot — including making White and Efron look several inches taller — but can it make the two actors look like they share a height?

Jeremy Allen White’s height

White certainly has the muscles to pull off that pro-wrestler look, but does he have the height? The Shameless and The Bear star isn’t short, by any means, but he never quite managed to crack six feet. He stands at around 5’7″ according to numerous sources, which leaves him a fair few inches short of the Von Erich’s 6’2″.

It also leaves him a touch shorter than his co-star, Zac Efron, which likely demanded some creative filming behind the scenes.

Zac Efron’s height

White and Efron’s heights don’t differ enough to present any major hurdles for the team behind The Iron Claw, with Efron’s 5’8″ a match for White’s 5’7″. This discrepancy of a single inch between the actors, made it easier to tackle than the far larger gap between them and their other brother, David, played by Harris Dickinson. The actor stands a good six inches taller than Efron — at 6’2″ — but his height in the film as David was a full 6’8″ when he was alive.

It’s a big year for Zac Efron fans. Following the critical success of Iron Claw, his December release with Jeremy Allen White, Efron just announced that his next project is coming your way.

Ricky Stanicky is set to release this Spring, and while the raunchy comedy is a far cry from Efron’s last project fans are ready to see his comedic chops back in action again. Can you say range?

What is the movie about?

According to the trailer, Ricky Stanicky tells the story of three best friends who invented a fool-proof alibi to get out of trouble for their irresponsible and immature behavior. They created a fourth, fake best friend, whom they call Ricky Stanicky, that they can blame their failures on, use as an excuse to go on secret trips, and overall live a double life without their families ever knowing.

Unfortunately, their 25-year scapegoat has caught up to them as adults, and they are demanding to meet this mysterious fourth friend after a runaway trip to Atlantic City. In hopes of covering their tracks, the trio hires a struggling actor and celebrity impersonator, ‘Rock Hard’ Rod, to pose as Ricky.

Unfortunately, Rod is a bit too committed to the character and begins to infiltrate every corner of their lives as their lifelong friend Ricky. As he wins over their bosses and families, wreaking havoc on their work and personal lives, the trio begins to wish they had just been honest all those years ago and never invented Ricky Stanicky.

Who is in the cast?

High School Musical, Baywatch, and The Greatest Showman star Zac Efron plays one of the original best friend trio. He is ed by Andrew Santino, who is best known for his roles in Beef and Dave. Comedian Jermaine Fowler, known for The Blackening and Coming 2 America will round out the tall-tale-telling trio.

The cast also includes Anja Savcic of Loudermilk and Big Sky and William H. Macy, who is best known for his Emmy-nominated role in Shameless and Oscar-nominated performance in Fargo.

Ricky Stanicky himself, also known as “Rock Hard” Rod, is played by former wrestler and comedic actor John Cena, who you may have seen (or not) in the Fast and Furious franchise, The Suicide Squad, and a small cameo in the box office smash and Oscar-nominated, Barbie.

Who is the director?

The movie was directed by Academy Award-winning director Peter Farrelly. The director, writer, and producer won two Oscars for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay for his 2018 film Green Book with Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali. He also worked with comedy royalty Jim Carrey on all three Dumb and Dumber movies.

The comedy director worked with Zac Efron previously on the 2022 war comedy, The Greatest Beer Run Ever, which recounts the story of a man attempting to track down his army friends during the Vietnam War in hopes of having a beer with them.

Farrelly certainly has plenty of experience in the comedy category, and with accoladed movies like Greenbook, brings a seasoned and successful perspective to Ricky Stanicky.

Who wrote it?

According to Deadline, the screenplay for Ricky Stanicky was written by Peter Farrelly, Brian Jarvis also worked with Farrelly on Dumb and Dumber and The Greatest Beer Run Ever, and James L. Freeman.

Ricky Stanicky is produced by the same production companies and producers that brought you a diverse group of movies like Blacklight, All Quiet on The Western Front, and Ted

When and where can I watch?

Ricky Stanicky will be available to watch on March 7, 2024, and you don’t even have to go to the theaters. The movie will stream on Prime Video, which has produced movies like Red, White, & Royal Blue, Joaquin Phoenix’s You Were Never Really Here, and The Big Sick. It may be time to tune into some of those Prime Video Originals to prepare for the arrival of Ricky Stanicky.

If you’re on the search for a new comedy to look forward to are just a really big fan of Zac Efron, or have a really big crush on Zac Efron, you can stop looking. This raunchy R-rated comedy stacked with an all-star cast, writers, and production team, will be coming to your Prime Video home screen very soon.