Warning: Minor spoilers ahead for Blake Crouch’s 2010 Famous – the novel that will form the basis of the movie of the same name.Zac Efron is teaming up with A24 again after the critical success of 2023’s The Iron Claw, but this time it’s for an adaptation of Blake Crouch’s 2010 thriller novel, Famous. The book’s compelling premise sets up the live-action version to be one of A24’s best movies to date, and could also become one of Zac Efron’s best movies too. As one of Crouch’s earliest publications, Famous has been lost in the wash of the author’s other big successes, like the Wayward Pines trilogy and 2016’s Dark Matter – both of which have also received the live-action treatment.
Famous‘ main character, Lancelot “Lance” Dunkquist, just so happens to look exactly like fictitious Oscar-winning actor James “Jim” Jansen. Efron will play both Lance and Jansen in the Famous movie, as is only logical. As the story’s main character, Lance’s journey is the one that’s primarily followed, as he heads to Hollywood in an attempt to supplant the real James Jansen and steal his life. It’s a relatively simple premise, but I found the book riveting. Hopefully, the movie sticks faithfully to two of the source material’s most vital components.
Famous Needs Zac Efron’s Main Character To Narrate The Movie
Lance’s inner monologue is a huge reason why Famous’ plot is so compelling
Writing in the first person is one of Blake Crouch’s hallmarks, and he does it for Famous too. As such, the reader is given a fascinating insight into Lance’s desperate and twisted mindset throughout the novel. As he tries to masquerade as a specific Hollywood actor, one of Lance’s biggest challenges is conducting himself in a way that seems familiar to his fans and acquaintances. So, he can’t outwardly display any inconsistencies in their presence. If the movie lacks access to Lance’s musings, it’ll just seem like he is even more indistinguishable from James Jansen from the outside.
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Thankfully, there is already a commonly-used storytelling device in the TV and movie world that can account for Crouch’s creative choices when he wrote Famous in 2010. Zac Efron can (and should) record a narration track that serves as Lance’s inner monologue. Probably the closest comparison I can think of regarding why this is so vital is Dexter. Michael C. Hall’s title character does such a great job blending in as a regular guy that it would have been a completely different show without his narration revealing his real thoughts. Famous would benefit in a very similar way.
A24’s Version Of Famous Must Also Retain The Book’s Late-’90s Setting
An earlier era would also work well
Crouch’s 2010 novel does a great job of guarding when the story takes place. It manages to get almost the way to the end with little more than the vague suggestion that it’s all happening in roughly modern-day Hollywood. However, a multi-year time jump in the final chapter reveals the year as 2003, which means most of the book is set in the late 1990s. Given the nature of the story and its primary location, this allows Famous to make far more sense than if it happened in the present day.
If A24 changes Famous by bringing it into the present day, images of Lance’s exploits as James Jansen would immediately find their way online.
If Famous had been set in an era when smartphones are as ubiquitous as they are today, then Lance’s plan would have fallen apart almost immediately. There are several instances when he is greeted by fans, and not a single one of them asks for a picture – because they aren’t carrying cameras everywhere. If A24 changes Famous by bringing it into the present day, images of Lance’s exploits as James Jansen would immediately find their way online, and the actor would likely be notified to the imposter. Hopefully, A24‘s version with Zac Efron allows the story to remain a throwback.
