Metallica frontman James Hetfield will join Zac Efron and Lily Collins in the Ted Bundy thriller “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile.”


The film, which is currently in production, centers on the relationship between Bundy, played by Efron, and his longtime girlfriend, portrayed by Collins, who at the time, had no knowledge of the crimes.


Hetfield will be playing Officer Bob Hayward, a no-nonsense Utah highway patrol veteran who was the first law enforcement officer to arrest Bundy in 1975 after pulling the killer over and discovering burglary tools in his car, but wisely suspecting much worse. It marks Hetfield’s first dramatic role in a movie playing someone other than himself.


Bundy was tried for murder in 1979. Shortly before his execution in 1989, Bundy confessed to 30 homicides committed in seven states between 1974 and 1978.


Joe Berlinger is directing. Hetfield and Berlinger collaborated on the documentary “Metallica: Some Kind of Monster,” which Berlinger helmed and produced along with the late Bruce Sinofsky. Berlinger also wrote a book about his experiences with the band, “Metallica: This Monster Lives.”


“Having spent hundreds of hours behind the scenes with James and the rest of Metallica, I have experienced his charisma and powerful presence close up,” he said. “It seemed only natural that he would bring that same power and magnetism to a dramatic role, so when he agreed to my pitch that he be in the movie, I was thrilled.”


The original screenplay, written by Michael Werwie, won the Nicholl Fellowship prize and was featured on the Black List. The cast includes Jim Parsons, Haley Joel Osment, John Malkovich, Kaya Scodelario, Angela Sarafyan, Jeffrey Donovan, Terry Kinney, and Dylan Baker.


Ara Keshishian and Nicolas Chartier are producing for Voltage Pictures. Michael Costigan is producing for COTA Entertainment. Michael Simkin is producing for Efron’s Ninjas Runnin’ Wild Productions. Voltage is fully financing, with Jonathan Deckter and Ninjas Runnin’ Wild’s Jason Barrett serving as executive producers.