High School Musical Is Back Again

Disney has announced that "High School Musical" is coming back for a fourth movie. Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens and the rest of the "High School Musical" cast said that the third movie was their last, so what's with Disney announcing a fourth installment of the film? The Associated Press reports that HSM4 will introduce a new generation of high schoolers. There will be a love triangle story line involving the East High Wildcats and their rival, the West High Knights, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Though most of the original cast will not be returning to the film, screenwriter Peter Barsocchini and executive producers Bill Borden and Barry Rosenbush will be back, according to People.

Efron, Hudgens and fellow cast mate Ashley Tisdale are excited for the newcomers, but they aren't so convinced the new cast will be able to fill their shoes. "There's only one Gabriella, one Troy, one Sharpay. [But] they're really great kids, and they're just as passionate about the movie as we are," Tisdale said in an interview with MTV News.

The HSM franchise has taken the world by storm since the first movie was released on the Disney Channel in January 2006. The AP reports an audience of 7.7 million for the movie, with the second film more than doubling that number. HSM2 brought in 17.2 million viewers.

Disney reports an estimated 290 million audience worldwide for the movie's first installment and a total of 300 million since the 2007 release of HSM2, according to Billboard. The third film, High School Movie 3: Senior Year, released in October 2008, was the first of the trilogy to make it to the big screen and it earned $250 million at the global box office, Billboard reports. The movie earned $40 million in just its opening weekend, according to the AP.

The franchise has also produced a hit soundtrack, a concert tour, and a variety of toys, clothes and books. The movie's soundtrack has sold 9.5 million copies to date, according to the Billboard.

HSM4 is expected to be the new and improved installment of the film. "We've challenged the entire creative team to raise the bar again - and create something truly worthy of this extraordinary global phenomenon," said Gary Marsh, Disney Channels Worldwide president of entertainment.

HSM4 is set to start production later this year and will premiere on the Disney Channel in 2010.