Former teen heartthrob turned genuine movie star Zac Efron has become attached to star in and produce a big screen adaptation of John Grisham's legal thriller The Associate.

According to The Wrap, Shia LaBeouf and Andrew Garfield were both attached at different points, with the former in a film that was to be directed by the late Tony Scott. Garfield’s version popped up a couple of years ago soon after, but lost steam just as quickly.

Efron is about to star in the much buzzed about Bad Neighbours, opposite Seth Rogen, and has generally been careful about his movie choices, picking fairly eclectic work.

In The Associate, Efron will play a Yale Law School graduate who is blackmailed by a group of criminals while working in the world’s biggest law firm. Sounds about right for a Grisham adaptation.

No director is confirmed as of yet, but Efron’s involvement should attract a decent one.