'Parkland': Zac Efron to star in JFK assassination drama

Zac Efron will star in the John F. Kennedy assassination drama, "Parkland." THR reports Efron and Marcia Gay Harden have joined the ensemble cast, which includes Billy Bob Thornton, Paul Giamatti, and Jacki Weaver.

The film, which is adapted from Vincent Bugliosi's Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy, focuses on the dramatic events at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, where Kennedy was taken after being shot.

The film is planned for a Nov. 2013 release to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination.

For whatever reason, filming is set for Austin, Tex. rather than Dallas. Peter Landesman is writing the adaptation and will also direct the film.