Zac Efron to star in King of the Jungle

Zac Efron is to star in 'King of the Jungle'.

'The Greatest Showman' star has replaced Seth Rogen in the project, which tells the story of tech magnate John McAfee.

McAfee created the antivirus software who left civilization and moved to the jungle in Belize after cashing in on his fortune. In the jungle, he sets up a compound of guns, sex and madness.

Zac will play Wired journalist Ari Furman in the film. He accepts what seems to be a run-of-the-mill assignment to interview McAfee, but finds himself pulled into a world of escalating paranoia, slippery reality and murder once he arrives in Belize.

The film was originally meant to star Rogen and Michael Keaton as Furman and McAfee respectively but the project has moved on and new casting is underway for the role of McAfee.

The film's synopsis hints at another darker role for the 32-year-old actor, who played American serial killer Ted Bundy in 'Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile'. He admitted earlier this year that he had "reservations" about taking on the role.

He said: "I had a lot of reservations about playing a serial killer and in this genre of film. I wasn't interested in glorifying anything, but I was interested in the psychological aspect of whether he was capable of real love."

Zac added: "I was very hesitant to do it, but I knew I could. I just didn't want to jump at something that could be seen as a desperate shot at trying to change my image. It was a unique experience and not what anyone expects. It makes me proud."

'King of the Jungle' will be directed by Glenn Ficara and John Requa, whose previous credits include 'Crazy, Stupid, Love' and 'I Love You Phillip Morris'.