January 16, 2008

High School Musical 3 To Hit Big Screen With Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale

By Gil Kaufman (MTV.com)

Everyone's back. All six stars of High School Musical will be onboard for the first big-screen adventure for the Disney Channel juggernaut. That means Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Lucas Grabeel, Corbin Bleu and Monique Coleman will suit up for High School Musical 3: Senior Year, slated for release on October 24.

Filming will begin in the spring with the series' director, Kenny Ortega, who told People magazine that he's excited to be working one last time with the cast, who were all virtually unknown before the first HSM debuted on the Disney Channel in January 2006. The movie went on to be the highest-rated program in the channel's history, and the soundtrack to its first sequel was the second-best-selling album of 2007.

"I am the luckiest guy in the world and I know it," Ortega said. "This will be our last time together, and I love working with these kids so much. It's going to be great."

The third installment will find high school seniors Troy (Efron) and Gabriella (Hudgens) dealing with the prospect of being separated as they head to different colleges. And, as usual, they will join the rest of the Wildcat gang to stage an elaborate musical to deal with it.

Budding pop singer Tisdale, who will, of course, be back in the role of jealous diva Sharpay Evans, told People she's also psyched about one more go-round at East High.

"I'm excited," she said. "But it's going to be sad. It seems like it will be graduation, and I'll be crying while we're filming."