Many of today's young Broadway fans first got bitten by the theatre bug when they watched the 2006 Disney Channel original movie High School Musical and its two sequels, ending in 2008. Deadline reports that Disney is planning a nationwide open casting search for a new installment, High School Musical 4, with dates and locations for the auditions TBA.

Peter Barsocchini, who wrote all three previous movies, is co-writing the new script with Dan Berendsen (Baby Daddy). Jeffrey Hornaday (Disney’s Teen Beach Movie series) has stepped in as director and choreographer. Deadline reported, "The movie will again be set at East High and follow the school’s famous Wildcats" but no further details were given. The film will introduce a "new cast of characters and actors to a new generation," according to Variety.

A High School Musical 4 sequel was announced in 2010, but was never produced.

The original films starred Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens (then billed as Vanessa Ann Hudgens). Hudgens starred on Broadway in Gigi, and on TV in Grease Live! No word on whether they will have any participation in the new film.

The original film as seen by 7.7 million viewers; its soundtrack went triple platinum. It was the first TV soundtrack to hit #1 on the Billboard album chart.

No timetable for the the broadcast debut of the new film was announced.