The psychological thriller and supernatural fantasy Angel Heart is getting a fresh adaptation, with an actor we wouldn’t have expected to take on the role of private detective Harry Angel.
Rarely has the label of a “cult” film felt more earned than with Angel Heart. A living, breathing adaptation of William Hjortsberg’s novel The Sabbat in Central Park, this hybrid masterpiece continually shifts between crime drama, fantasy cinema, and an esoteric nightmare. Behind the camera, the late Alan Parker (Midnight Express, Mississippi Burning) delivered a masterful film, elevated by standout performances from Mickey Rourke, Robert De Niro, Charlotte Rampling, and Lisa Bonet.
This descent into hell is poised to receive a brand-new life in series form. HBO and A24 have officially joined forces to oversee the project, entrusting the writing to showrunner Zach Baylin (The Order, Black Rabbit). And to embody the private detective at the center of this thriller, the producers have gone hunting for a lead who promises to be “surprisingly” provocative.
Angel Heart of Darkness
According to Deadline, the star Zac Efron will bring to life the central character Harry Angel, and he will also serve as executive producer. While that choice might raise eyebrows among fans of his pratfalls during the High School Musical era, the actor has more than proven the breadth of his dramatic range since. His jaw‑dropping transformation in the moody (and brilliant) Iron Claw and his chilling turn as Ted Bundy in Extremely Wicked confirm he has the chops to carry the project.
For context, the 1987 Angel Heart plunges into the grimy New York of the 1950s alongside detective Harry Angel, hired by a mysterious aristocrat named Louis Cyphre (Robert De Niro). His mission is to locate a debt‑riddled former crooner who vanished after the war. His investigation leads him to Louisiana and ends in a bloodbath, with each witness meeting a brutal end as the investigator comes to realize he was likely a pawn in the hands of occult forces.
When it hit theaters in 1987, Alan Parker’s film suffered a heavy commercial bonk, snubbed by an audience apparently too squeamish. Angel Heart grossed a mere $17 million in the United States against a budget of around $18 million—a major flop. It’s only over the decades, and thanks to the video market, that the film has come to be regarded as a classic.
For this new series, HBO has signaled that it will stay much closer to The Sabbat in Central Park. Efron will portray Harry Angel, in a New York paparazzo persona, investigating the disappearance of a young woman at the behest of a member of the upper crust. For now, the TV‑series remake of Angel Heart has no firm air date or production schedule.
