zac efron as ted bundy in extremely wicked
photo: Voltage Pictures

Well, friends, it looks like you won't have to wait as long as you thought to watch Zac Efron's portrayal of the infamous serial killer Ted Bundy. 

After a late-night bidding war between Netflix, STX, and Lionsgate, the streaming giant has acquired Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile for a whopping $9 million. It will join the docuseries The Ted Bundy Tapes, which gives a chronological look at Bundy's life and timeline of crimes. Both are directed by Joe Berlinger, making Netflix a suitable home for the movie counterpart. Only one question remains: When will it be available to stream?

Netflix is about to become your official home for Ted Bundy content.

Already home to popular docuseries The Ted Bundy Tapes, Netflix is now acquiring another of Joe Berlinger's serial killer masterpieces: Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile.

Ever since it debuted at Sundance, the Bundy biopic, which stars Zac Efron, has been dominating the news cycle.

zac efron as ted bundy
photo: Voltage Pictures, Bettmann / Getty Images

In the film, Efron portrays the notorious American serial killer Ted Bundy as he builds a relationship with Elizabeth Kloepfer (played by Lily Collins) while secretly murdering 30 innocent young women. It's told through Kloepfer's perspective and based on her memoir titled The Phantom Prince: My Life with Ted Bundy.

Some people on social media have accused the film of glorifying the serial killer, while others think Efron's portraying Bundy exactly how he was, which is important.

It's worth noting that many of those criticizing the film have only seen the trailer. They're judging an entire film over the tone and music of a 1.5-minute teaser.

Even the director, Joe Berlinger, has explained that those critics had a "naive, knee-jerk reaction."

"If you actually watch the movie, the last thing we’re doing is glorifying him. He gets his due at the end, but we’re portraying the experience of how one becomes a victim to that kind of psychopathic seduction," Berlinger said.

Those who had the privilege of watching the film's premiere at Sundance have mostly praised it.

"Zac Efron's best performance to date as the sly, charming, and evil Ted Bundy," one review read on Twitter. "More courtroom drama than horror. Forces us to sympathize with him until the very end."

Efron and Collins, especially, earned rave reviews online.

"Zac Efron and Lily Collins were fantastic and gave amazing performances," one Twitter user said. And honestly, I would expect nothing less!

However, there are some who preferred the docuseries over the biopic, which is totally understandable.

Twitter user Brian Tallerico accused the film of "never committing to a POV" and "falling for Ted as much as the cameras did during the trial." He told his followers to "watch the doc instead," which also happens to be Berlinger's work.

Regardless, Netflix decided to give people a choice of which one to watch by acquiring Extremely Wicked for $9 million.

It was reportedly in a late-night bidding war with STX and Lionsgate. The deal is the first narrative feature buy for Netflix at this year's Sundance market.

While typically films premiere pretty quickly on Netflix, it seems we may have to wait a bit longer than normal for this one.

The streaming giant is reportedly waiting for a fall theatrical release so it can be a frontrunner for awards-season considerations for Efron and Collins.

Some people are a little disappointed that Netflix bought the rights to the film.

But I think we can all agree having this biopic on the platform is better than enduring another year of Friends. We need new content, y'all! Sorry not sorry. 

In case you somehow missed it, here's the official trailer for Berlinger's Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile.

Besides Efron and Collins, the film stars Angela Sarafyan, James Hetfield, Kaya Scodelario, Haley Joel Osment, John Malkovich, and Jim Parsons.

While you wait for the official Netflix release date, listen to Berlinger and the cast discuss how they approached the film.

And hear Efron talk about why he almost decided not to take the role. Who else would've taken on the part of Bundy? 

Or learn all there is to know about Bundy before watching the biopic through The Ted Bundy Tapes.

At least then you can make a more informed decision on whether or not Extremely Wicked is actually offensive.

Now, when's the LEGO Ted Bundy movie coming out?

No, seriously, isn't that the next step in this serial killer trilogy?