The new trailer of Oscar-nominated director Lee Daniels' The Paperboy hit Wednesday. Shots of the film, which premiered in Cannes this past May give a great tease including Zac Efron dancing with sex kitten Nicole Kidman in his tighty-whities and it shows John Cusack as the frightful villain (stalking in a Florida swamp no less).
"He's good looking, the camera can't help but love him... And I'm a gay man - you know!" said Daniels in Cannes when asked about Efron being "eroticized" in the film at a press conference. "I don't think I was supposed to feel comfortable," said Efron, laughing after Daniels's quip. "This character is learning the ways of the world and it is uncomfortable. It was a great character to play."
Based on a novel by Pete Dexter, The Paperboy is set in late '60s Florida. Efron plays Jack, a young guy who's aimless and living with his dad and soon-to-be step mother. His older brother (Matthew McConaughey) is a journalist who comes to town to investigate a death-row inmate (John Cusack) he believes is wrongly convicted of murder. Meanwhile, Cusack is corresponding with a platinum blonde (Nicole Kidman) with a fabulous wardrobe, fake eye-lashes and pillowy lips. She's also the object of Jack's raging hormones — and things get complicated.
The film divided audiences in Cannes where it had its avid fans and vocal detractors. Daniels, who is currently filming The Butler and a pic on Martin Luther King's assassination afterward. This will likely be his most racy feature though for the foreseeable future.
Millennium Entertainment opens The Paperboy October 5th in the U.S.