Linklater and Zac Efron

What happens when one of your favorite best-kept-secret directors makes a film about Orson Welles' Broadway production of Caesar starring Zac Efron.  I am genuinely scared.  Could the mere presence of such a horrendous actor make this film into some sort of companion piece to High School Musical, causing preteen girls who've grown tired of the Jack Nicholson and Edward Scissorhand love child gone wrong (because, really, a love child produced by those two would be better looking than Pattinson) to once again take refuge in the slightly disturbing porcelain doll-like face of Zac Efron? It is a conundrum of sorts, a reason to be concerned.  Granted, Linklater is known to do major studio productions (remember this?), but really, does he have to work with someone like Efron?  A living Ken doll, one of the myriad reasons why kids today will grow up even more shallow than past generations.  Maybe I'm just too attached.  Maybe I wish all too much that Linklater would solely commit to projects like this one, or keep down the road of unique inquiries on film of philosophical questions, like here, here, and here.  It's probably the stoner in me that wants more of this, less of this.  Honestly, I wouldn't mind as much except did he really sign up for this film aware of who was in it?  If he did, it makes me wonder.  This man is not dumb.  If you are familiar with his films, as well as him and his lifestyle (he did Fast Food Nation for a reason, as well as every movie he did that I appreciate immensely), you'd be curious as to why he made this one.  I'm torn because I'd never pay to see Zac Efron do anything... a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g.  But Linklater is a true inspiration.  I guess this is one to wait for on Netflix.

Watch the director himself in the opening scene of Slacker: