Where to see “17 Again”, Matthew Perry’s last film which, despite criticism, achieved success at the box office for its sensitive interpretation of a difficult moment in his life Why did Zac Efron turn down a sequel?

Matthew Perry was planning a movie about his life and had Zac Efron in mind to play the lead role, revealed Athena Crosby, a friend of the actor who died on October 28 at his home in Los Angeles.

In 2009, when they both starred in the movie “17 Again,” Perry played Mike O’Donnell, a middle-aged man with no luck, no future and on the verge of divorce, People recalled.

While Zac Efron played the same role, but his teenage version because in one magical moment O’Donnell is 17 years old again.

“I wanted Zac Efron, who had already played him, to act again because he said he did a very good job,” revealed the Venezuelan model and entertainment journalist Crosby.

“17 Again” was the last film in which Matthew Perry starred, and despite the criticism it received at the time, it achieved incredible success at the box office, reveals the Daily Mail.

By then, it had earned $139.5 million, despite a budget of $40 million, according to data compiled by British media citing The Numbers.

It was a cheesy but fun film that was made at a time when Matthew Perry was dealing with “serious addiction,” pain and fear that may have added to the regrets in his character Mike’s life, as analyzed by Gizmodo.

In the years following this success, Perry continued to appear only on television as a star in some series or as a guest.

Where to watch “17 Again” movie by Matthew Perry and Zac Efron

Although 14 years have passed since the premiere, those who want to remember this interpretation of Matthew Perry on the big screen can find “17 Again” on the Prime Video platform, writes People in one of its publications.

Why Zac Efron turned down a sequel

The idea of ​​his own movie was something the late 54-year-old actor had already been toying with, as he revealed during an interview with Jessica Shaw on SiriusXM’s “Pop Culture Spotlight” in 2022 that he had a script ready.

Without going into details, he admitted that it is a romantic comedy, as reported by Antena 3.

“I finished the script by talking to some people. I want to direct this. I have a small role in it. I wrote it for myself and then I realized I’m 20 years too old to play this. So now we are trying to choose the protagonists”, he admitted at the time.

At that time, he was already looking for actors, and Zac Efron was one of them, although the artist who became famous with the Disney film “High School Musical” had already turned it down.

“He said no, so we’ve got to find someone to say yes,” Perry said, referring to his 2009 co-star and leaving the door open for a new cast in this shelved film project.

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