The 22 year old has partnered with his manager Jason Barret to form Ninjas Runnin' Wild Productions, and has employed Fox network executive Jason Young as head of development and Angie Edgar of Alchemy Production Group as his creative executive.

Efron tells USA Today, "We're looking for stuff that is original, that doesn't necessarily have a brand associated with it. You can make something truly brilliant now and it doesn't have to be a remake."

Company executives have already lined up a series of projects with Efron in the starring roles.

The planned ventures include: Art of the Steal, about an unlikely geeky criminal mastermind; time travel story Einstein Theory; action adventure Fire; a remake of Swedish thriller Snabba Cash, and an as-yet-untitled workplace comedy.