First Look: Zac Efron stars in ‘The Lucky One’

The movie: "The Lucky One"

When: Opening Friday at local theaters

Cast: Zac Efron, Taylor Schilling, Blythe Danner

Director: Scott Hicks

The story: After surviving three tours of duty in Iraq, a Marine travels to North Carolina to search for the unknown woman whose photograph became his good-luck charm during combat.

The buzz: The latest Nicholas Sparks novel to get the big-screen treatment, this is bound to fare better at the box-office than the 2008 indie "The Lucky Ones," which focused on a trio of returning Iraq veterans - one of whom was played by Rachel McAdams, who starred in another Sparks adaptation, 2004's "The Notebook."

- CAROL CLING