‘High School Musical’ 4 looking for actors

Disney Channel is getting back into the game with “High School Musical,” officially starting casting today on Disney Channel Original Movie “High School Musical 4,” Variety has learned.

Coming ten years after “High School Musical” premiered, “High School Musical 4,” which is in development, will introduce a new cast of characters and actors to a new generation. The potential flick is described as continuing the story of “High School Musical,” while introducing new East High Wildcats and their cross-town school rivals, the West High Knights.

“High School Musical 4” was first announced back in 2009. Now with casting beginning, Jeffrey Hornaday, who directed the kids’ cabler’s “Teen Beach Movie” and “Teen Beach 2,” is still attached to direct and choreograph, should the telepic be greenlit — which is likely, given the huge success of the pop culture juggernaut.

Related ‘High School Musical’ By the Numbers

The original “High School Musical” in 2006 starred Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Lucas Grabeel, Corbin Bleu and Monique Coleman, bringing the teen stars to worldwide fame. Recently, the group reunited for a ten-year anniversary special that aired on Disney Channel.

The teen musical rom-com spawned two sequels, including a theatrical release for a third film, which brought in over $250 million worldwide at the box office. An additional spinoff “Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure” starring Tisdale, was released straight-to-DVD in 2011. At the time of its 2006 debut, “High School Musical” marked Disney Channel’s highest-rated telecast with 7.7 million viewers in the U.S., and that record was later broken by the sequel “High School Musical 2,” which brought in 17.3 million viewers in August 2007, becoming the most-watched TV movie of all time. The film “High School Musical 3: Senior Year” marked the biggest opening day for any musical film at the box office, holding the title until it was topped by “Les Miserables” in 2012.