Peter Landesman says he cast Zac Efron because he is a 'great actor'.
Landesman teams up with Efron for the first time with his new movie Parkland: a film that looks at the aftermath of the assassination of President John F Kennedy.
Efron is set to play a young surgeon in the film, and Landesman admits that he was driven to cast Efron after he saw his performance in The Paperboy.
Speaking to MSN the director said: "That's why I cast him - the character is a young 26-year-old rookie doctor who is in over his head. So Zac is a young actor growing into becoming a great thespian.
"I hired him because he's a great actor. I saw Lee Daniels' movie The Paperboy before I cast him, and The Paperboy is a terrific, dark, messy movie, in a good sense, and Zac's performance is really...
"I remember watching it thinking, 'This kid's going to be one of our great actors!' That was easy."
Landesman has assembled a great cast for the film as Efron is joined by Marcia Gay Harden, Paul Giamatti, Ron Livingston and James Badge Dale.
Efron continues to mix and match his roles he has a rom/com and a comedy on the horizon with That Awkward Moment and Neighbours.
Parkland is released 22nd November.
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