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Portraying a real-life figure is not out of the realm for Zac Efron. The actor previously transformed into the terrifying but charismatic serial killer Ted Bundy for Netflix's "Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile," and now, he's returning to the screen in another true-story adaptation, "The Greatest Beer Run Ever." The upcoming Apple TV+ film is based on the 2020 memoir "The Greatest Beer Run Ever: A Memoir of Friendship, Loyalty, and War" by Joanna Molloy and John "Chickie" Donohue, the latter of whom is played on screen by Efron.

Directed by "Green Book" and "Dumb and Dumber" filmmaker Peter Farrelly, the movie follows Donohue as he travels to Vietnam at the height of the Vietnam War to bring beers to his friends in combat. Seriously. The plot itself sounds wild, so let's dig into the real story behind "The Greatest Beer Run Ever," which hits Apple TV+ on Sept.

Film-festival awards don’t usually have much lasting impact, but four years ago, when “Green Book” played at the Toronto International Film Festival and won the People’s Choice Award, it had a seismic effect. It set the film on what would become its road to Oscar glory. Since that turned out to be a very bumpy road, with many critics dumping on the film for what they perceived to be its outdated liberal race consciousness (not me — I thought “Green Book” was terrific), the Toronto award kept coming back into the conversation. It was used to signify the nature of the movie’s appeal — namely, that maybe this wasn’t a film destined to be embraced by the most elite levels of the establishment, but that it was one “the people” went for. And that’s just what ended up happening.

So tonight, when Toronto hosted the world premiere...

Exclusive: Jake Picking (Top Gun: Maverick), Will Ropp (The Way Back), Archie Renaux (Shadow and Bone) and Kyle Allen (West Side Story) are the latest additions to The Greatest Beer Run Ever, the Apple Original Film from director Peter Farrelly and Skydance Media.

The four actors will star alongside previously announced cast members Zac Efron and Russell Crowe.

Pic is based on Joanna Molloy and John “Chickie” Donohue’s book The Greatest Beer Run Ever: A Memoir of Friendship, Loyalty and War, which became a New York Times bestseller upon its publication last year. It tells the true story of Donohue, who left New York for Vietnam in 1967 to track down and share a few beers with his childhood friends while they were serving in combat.

Picking, Allen and Renaux will play Rick Duggan, Bobby Pappas and Tommy Collins, the three childhood friends of Efron’s Chickie who are serving in the Army,...