Pete Dexter's novel The Paperboy is heading to the big screen with Matthew McConaughey, Zac Efron, Tobey Maguire, and Sofia Vergara attached to star. The Hollywood Reporter says Lee Daniels (Precious) will direct the sexual thriller for Millennium Films.

Executive producer Avi Lerner told THR, "This is a good film for us, a project that has Pedro Almodovar attached, is set in the steamy South, directed by Lee Daniels, Hilary Shor producing, and with the incredible cast of Matthew, Tobey, Sofia and Zac." (Almodovar's been developing the project for years with Dexter.)

From the book jacket: "The sun was rising over Moat County, Florida, when Sheriff Thurman Call was found on the highway, gutted like an alligator. A local redneck was tried, sentenced, and set to fry. Then Ward James, hotshot investigative reporter for the Miami Times, returns to his rural hometown with a death row femme fatale who promises him the story of the decade. She's armed with explosive evidence, aiming to free-and meet-her convicted fiance.
With Ward's disillusioned younger brother Jack as their driver, they barrel down Florida's back roads and seamy places in search of The Story, racing flat out into a shocking head-on collision between character and fate as truth takes a back seat to headline news."
McConaughey recently scored success with the dramatic film The Lincoln Lawyer, just finished up work on Killer Joe for director William Friedkin, and has signed up for The Dallas Buyer's Club. Sofia Vergara's keeping busy with the hit TV series Modern Family, will soon be seen in The Smurfs, and is filming The Three Stooges.

Zac Efron has New Year's Eve heading to theaters later this year and The Lucky One coming in 2012. And Tobey Maguire is currently working with Ang Lee on Life of Pi.

<sub>Follow Hollywood Movies - Twitter | Facebook

(Photo of Zac Efron by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)</sub>