The debut of the new musical sequel will play Aug. 17 at 8 PM on Disney Channel with a "Wildcat Chat" rerun Aug. 18 at 8 PM, where viewers can send questions to the stars during the telecast of the movie. A "Sing-Along telecast" Aug. 19 at 8 PM will feature song lyrics visible on screen that are also available for printing online. (All times ET. Check local listings.)
Original stars Zac Efron (as Troy), Vanessa Hudgens (Gabriella), Ashley Tisdale (Sharpay), Lucas Grabeel (Ryan), Corbin Bleu (Chad) and Monique Coleman (Taylor) all return for the sequel. Also returning are Alyson Reed (Ms. Darbus), Chris Warren, Jr. (Zeke), Olesya Rulin (Kelsi), KayCee Stroh (Martha), Ryne Sanborn (Jason) and Bart Johnson (Coach Bolton). Mark Taylor joins the cast as country club manager Mr. Fulton.
"The Wildcats are back," reads an announcement for the sequel. "This time, school's out and East High School hoops star Troy Bolton, A-student Gabriella Montez and the rest of the Wildcats are getting ready for a fun summer vacation. But that all changes when scheming drama queen Sharpay Evans uses her dad's connections to get Troy a job at their ritzy country club — and a chance at a college basketball scholarship. The catch? He'll have to turn his back on his friends and pair up with Sharpay in a musical extravaganza for the club's annual talent show. But when Gabriella and the Wildcats start making plans without Troy, he must decide where his loyalties truly lie."
Kenny Ortega ("Newsies"), who both directed and choreographed the original film, returns for the sequel, which was penned again by writer Peter Barsocchini. Songwriters for the sequel include Matthew Gerrard, Robbie Nevil, Jamie Houston, Tim James, Antonina Armato, Randy Petersen, Kevin Quinn, David Lawrence and Faye Greenberg. Lawrence also composed the score for the movie.
Disney's "High School Musical" has already spawned sing-along, dance-along and pop-up editions, two versions of the soundtrack, two DVD versions, two stage versions, a concert tour, an ice show and a recently reported possible third sequel. Visit the "High School Musical 2" website at disneychannel.com/highschoolmusical2 for more information.
