Take heed, Wildcats! High School Musical is on its way back to the Disney Channel, after the House of Mouse officially confirmed that plans were underway to revive the dormant TV movie series.
As the first mainline installment in almost a decade, Disney is aiming for a total overhaul ahead of High School Musical 4, and it’s understood the company is already on the hunt for a new cast ahead of its planned return to East High. Details are thin on the ground for now, but it appears said newcomers will go up against the Wildcats’ cross-town rivals, the West High Knights.
Jeffrey Hornaday (Teen Beach Movie, Teen Beach 2) will direct and choreograph the revival, working from a script by Dan Berendsen and series stalwart Peter Barsocchini. In light of the announcement, Disney Channel President Gary Marsh was full of praise for the HSM brand, hinting that the new movie may shape up to be “the start of something new.”
“High School Musical is part of Disney Channel’s DNA. It embodies all that we stand for. As a way of continuing to embrace that heritage, we’re excited to announce ‘the start of something new’ as we launch a search for a new class of East High Wildcats to star in a fourth installment of the ‘High School Musical’ franchise.”
Exactly ten years ago, Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale and Corbin Bleu helped fire High School Musical into a global phenomenon, spawning two sequels and a fanbase that remains just as passionate today. A fourth film was initially announced in 2009, but it never came to pass as the core cast moved on to the next stages in their respective careers. C’est la Vie.
No word yet on a premiere date for Disney’s High School Musical revival. Nevertheless, we’ll keep you posted as this story develops.
