‘High School Musical 3’ 10th Anniversary: Latest News On ‘HSM 4,’ TV Show

Ten years ago today, “High School Musical” fans got to see their favorite characters — played by Zac Efron (Troy), Vanessa Hudgens (Gabriella) and more — on the big screen when the third musical movie released to theaters. Now, they’re about to be introduced to a whole new cast of characters.

Disney Channel announced back in 2016 that a fourth installment of the franchise is in the works and then revealed earlier this year that a “High School Musical” TV show is on the way, as well.

Although casting started for the sequel movie a couple years ago, no updates on the status of the film have been made recently. The TV show, which is set to air on Disney’s upcoming streaming service, is currently titled “High School Musical: The Musical” and has made more progress than the new “HSM” movie.

The docu-style, 10-episode series is expected to launch in late 2019 and will follow East High students as they put on a production of “High School Musical” themselves, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The show will focus on the drama happening onstage and off and will feature a fresh rendition of a classic “HSM” song in every episode. There will also be original music.

Although the entire cast is still coming together, the show has found one of its leads in Joshua Bassett. He’ll star as Ricky, a high school junior who tries to win back his ex-girlfriend, Nina, by trying out for the school’s winter theater production, in the hopes of starring opposite her. This is the first of eight series regular roles to be cast.

On the movie front, when Disney Channel shared in 2016 that the network was gearing up for a “High School Musical 4,” they revealed that the flick, written by Dan Berendsen and alum Peter Barsocchini, would once again focus on the East High Wildcats, as well as their rivals, the West High Knights. There’s no news yet on whether or not the movie is still moving forward or, if it is, how it will connect with the TV show.

This isn’t the first time a “High School Musical 4” or “HSM” TV show has been in the works. In 2009, after the success of the first three movies, and before releasing Sharpay’s (Ashley Tisdale) spinoff movie, “Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure,” in 2011, Disney declared a fourth movie was being made. The company had revealed it would premiere on Disney Channel in 2010 and would feature a whole new set of characters and focus on a love triangle, according to Reuters. That, of course, never happened.

Then, in 2011, Disney Channel revealed it was putting together a spinoff TV show, called “Madison High,” that would have Alyson Reed reprising her role as Ms. Darbus, Deadline reports. The original “High School Musical” character would move over to Madison High, where she’d help a new set of theater students put on a production. The show, like the movies, would’ve had its characters breaking into song and dance and feature original music.

“Madison High,” which was set to star Katherine McNamara, Luke Benward, Genevieve Hannelius, Beanie Feldstein and more, never made it past the pilot stage. Despite her own “HSM” series not moving forward, McNamara, who’s gone on to star in shows like Freeform’s “Shadowhunters” and MTV’s “Happyland,” is excited about this new one in the works.

“I’m happy for them,” the actress told International Business Times at New York Comic Con earlier this month. “I grew up on ‘High School Musical,’ and I think it’s so wonderful and such a great world… I’m just excited to see where they go and what they do next. And more power to them. That’s amazing.”

While we all wait to see if this new “High School Musical 4” and “HSM” TV show actually make it onto our screens, there’s plenty of time to rewatch all of the previous movies. Today is the 10th anniversary of “High School Musical 3,” after all.