Zac Efron has already been cast as the film's protagonist, Kyle McAvoy. We aren't surprised; we can picture him as a frat boy, and we know he cleans up nicely in a suit. Having said this, Efron has done some pretty brutal films in the past (New Year's Eve and Charlie St. Cloud spring to mind) and his attempt to play more serious roles in The Paperboy and The Lucky Ones did not fair so well either. His most recent role alongside Seth Rogen in Neighbors was less offensive, so we're hoping he's headed in a better direction with The Associate.
Joining Efron and Franco's crew, we think Chace Crawford should play Joey Bernardo—the other culprit in the videotape. We've seen him play a college undergrad before as Nate Archibald on Gossip Girl (he went to college at some point that series, right? For a semester?) and we think he's the perfect addition to the bro trio.
To play the mysterious Bennie Wright, we went straight to Kevin Spacey. Sure, he's smiling and holding a cute dog in this picture, but The House of Cards star knows how to intimidate and can handle roles involving high-powered positions. We've also seen Spacey be vulnerable in American Beauty, which we think would come in handy if Wright's plan gets foiled and desperation starts to sink in.
To play Baxter Tate, McAvoy's fraternity brother and one of the men caught on the videotape, we selected Dave Franco. Originally tied strictly to comedies (21 Jump Street Superbad, his shorts on Funny or Die), we're pleased to see that the younger Franco has branched out to take on more dramatic roles. He recently played an illusionist in the thriller Now You See Me and we think he and Efron would make believable on-screen buddies.
Elaine Keenan, the rape victim from the video, re-emerges during the latter half of the film. Anna Kendrick strikes us as the right fit for this role. While she was on the other side of struggle in Up in the Air and 50/50, we're interested to see how she would address the psychology of the survivor.
Roy Benedict is a criminal lawyer and former FBI agent that McAvoy approaches towards the end of the story. To play Roy, we decided on Ed Harris. Harris has enjoyed a fruitful career with films like The Rock, A Beautiful Mind, The Hours, The Way Back, and Gravity. Knowing that he also starred in one of the early Grisham adaptations The Firm, why not bring him back?