Zac Efron Just Landed A Comedy With Will Ferrell, And The Film's Premise Already Has Me Predicting A Big Guest Star

After catching strays during The Traitors’ roundtable, Zac Efron is ready to prove that he’s a good actor once and for all. The High School Musical icon is once again partnering with Prime Video for an untitled comedy project where he’ll star opposite Saturday Night Live legend Will Ferrell. Judging by the premise, I’m predicting that Ferrell won’t be the only big star appearing in the movie.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Efron will star as a young convict who is fresh out of prison. Instead of choosing to make good on his newfound freedom, the convict decides to seek revenge on the reality TV judge, played by Ferrell, whose conviction put him behind bars. As if that’s not bad enough, Efron’s character manages to take a reality TV courtroom hostage in the process.

Reality TV court shows have been a staple on daytime television for decades, and with Amazon Freevee’s Jury Duty becoming an Emmy Award-nominated comedy show, it’s no surprise that the streaming site wants to dabble in the world once again. With such an open premise, there’s also a chance that the untitled Efron-Ferrell project will be able to poke fun at the real-life TV judges that generations grew up watching — like Judge Judy.

While nothing has been confirmed beyond Efron and Ferrell’s casting, it’s easy to wonder if television's most famous judge, Judy Sheindlin, will appear in the comedy. I can think of a couple of ways Sheindlin could show up, and they all could lead to some hilarious situations.

For starters, Sheindlin could appear as her infamous television persona, Judge Judy. Perhaps Efron’s character breaks into the wrong courtroom while searching for Ferrell’s character and finds himself making a scene in Judge Judy’s presence. If you’ve ever watched her courtroom series, which ran for 25 years, you’ll know that Judy didn't put up with any nonsense, meaning Efron’s convict character could find himself in even more trouble or be on the receiving end of one of Judy’s insults.

Though Sheindlin has never appeared on television as anything other than “Judge Judy,” it would be hilarious if she just happened to be an audience member in Ferrell’s televised courtroom. There could even be a moment where she criticizes him as a way to subtly call out her time as a TV judge.

If they can’t get Sheindlin, there are plenty of other television judges to choose from that would add a hilarious, meta cameo to the film. But even if that doesn’t happen, I’m sure the Efron and Ferrell-led film is going to be one of Prime Video’s best comedies.

After all, it’s being penned and directed by Nicholas Stroller, who just worked with Ferrell in the comedy You’re Cordially Invited, which you can stream now with an active Prime Video subscription. Plus, Efron has proven he’s a talented comedy actor over and over again, most recently in Ricky Stanicky for the same streaming service.

With the project still untitled, it’s unlikely that the film will be finished in time for the 2025 movie schedule. Thankfully, there are plenty of other great Prime Video films to hold you over until then.