Efron and Mann Team Up in '17'

By Katey Rich

I don't want to be embarassed about looking forward to Zac Efron's new project, and now thanks to Leslie Mann, I might not have to. The Knocked Up star (and wife of Judd Apatow) has joined Efron in 17, a comedy about a man who suddenly finds himself as a 17-year-old who must navigate high school. Mann will play the wife of Efron's adult character, who has not been cast yet.

This seems like a total retread of Big and 13 Going on 30 (which, lets be honest, are pretty great), except that Burr Steers is directing it. Steers has spent the last few years directing episodes of premium cable shows like "Big Love" and "The L Word," but made a huge splash with his directorial debut back in 2002, Igby Goes Down. Probably one of the harshest looks at family life and adolescence ever, especially to star a Culkin, Igby is about as far from bubblegum as it gets. I can't imagine that Zac Efron will suddenly do a 360 and go all sullen and matricidic on us, but there's a very good chance that 17 will be more than just a chipper flight of fancy.

I haven't seen any of the High School Musicals, though I know the plot in and out (I used to babysit) and can recognize the entire cast (I work in the media), but Zac Efron stole my heart in Hairspray. Those blue eyes! That slicked-back hair! Those moves! I could probably listen to "Ladies Choice" every day (and maybe have already). Efron seems more or less like the real deal, and if Lindsay Lohan could pull off playing a middle-aged woman in Freaky Friday, he's more than capable of pulling off the same feat.