Disney Channel announced on March 1, 2016, the search for the next batch of Wildcats was under way. Yes, High School Musical 4 was finally happening, a decade after the first HSM film ever came into our lives. It was the start of something new indeed since in that initial tweet that sent everyone into a frenzy let us know this was clearly a whole chapter in the saga.

But ever since that first tweet, what exactly has been going on? Well, the status of the movie seems to still be that it’s a work in progress and well, now we’re not so sure it’s even happening. Disney Channel went ahead and announced that a HSM show is actually happening when the network starts up their own streaming platform in 2019. It’s going to be called High School Musical: The Musical and the 10-episode series will be shot docu-style, following a group of students at East High who will be performing High School Musical for their winter theater production. WILD TIMES.

And while this show does sound super cool and really gives a new twist to the beloved franchise, it’s leaving the fate of this new flick up in the air even more. Let us break down everything that is known about the mysterious Disney Channel Original Movie so many of us are waiting to hear more about:

What is the movie about?

Just like the first three films, this movie was set to take place at East High, focusing on the Wildcats once again and their rivals, the West High Knights. So far, there were five central characters that had been reported to be the center of this next movie. Here’s the breakdown of each one:

Erin: She’s the only girl on the boys’ soccer team, who starts falling for the bad boy.

Derek: The resident bad boy Erin is crushing on who at his core, is a sweet guy after all. He plays soccer too and just so happens to be a fabulous dancer.

Campbell: He’s the captain of the soccer team who excels in theater as well and just so happens to be Sharpay and Ryan Evans’ cousin. (ANOTHER EVANS FAMILY MEMBER THOUGH!) He has a crush on Erin, but as we already know, she has her sights on Derek so we totally sense a love triangle brewing here!

Nathalie: She’s a cheerleader and Erin’s best friend.

Tamara: She is on the cheer squad too, but she is no longer the star of the school, and this loss of attention and popularity is something she plans on reclaiming, no matter what.

There already was a casting-call in May of 2016 that OG star Corbin Bleu made a surprise appearance at too.

corbin hsm casting call

(Photo Credit: Disney Channel)

Is Vanessa Hudgens going to be High School Musical 4?

Vanessa admitted she’s ready to pass the torch and see what happens in the next chapter since she feels she’s too old to be playing a high school student on Disney Channel again.

“I mean, I’m 28. I could be a teacher, but I refuse to be a teacher! I’m still a teenager at heart,” Vanessa confessed to E! Online. “So probably not with me, but I’m excited to see what they whip together.”

So looks like Gabriella won’t be gracing the halls of East High, at least not in a movie. The starlet did admit though that with the announcement of the upcoming series, she wouldn’t totally rule it out.

“That’s awesome! I grew up watching musicals. I love musicals. So I feel like the longer we can keep them alive, the better,” she said about Disney’s plans to make the HSM show to Comospolitan.com. “I dunno! I mean, we’ll see. If they ask, who knows,” she said about possible appearing in it. Oh and Disney did just recently send her a shirt with all of the OG cast on it, which she proudly showed off.

vanessa hudgens hsm shirt

So looks like V is warming up to the idea after all.

Is Ashley Tisdale going to reprise her role as Sharpay Evans?

And what about our girl Sharpay herself? Well, Ash made it clear she’s ready to move on too.

“No. Looking back, it was such a perfect thing for its time and was so pure that I just don’t know how you go from there,” Ashley explained. “High School Musical didn’t make us, we made High School Musical because of our friendship, how close we were, and the magic there at the time. Disney is an amazing company so I’m sure they’ll find some way to do it.” She later said to Seventeen it’s been hard for people to see her as anyone other than Sharpay.

“Obviously the character I played [in High School Musical] was so successful and everyone loved that character. Right now, my goal in acting is to do roles that people haven’t seen me do before and kind of push the boundaries with that,” Ashley said. “Obviously, those are the roles that people just don’t see me in… It’s so funny how someone sees you as a certain character and then they just can’t see you as anything else, which is why I’m so happy and proud that I have my production company because I’m able to create anything. Having writers, being able to have the ideas, and say I’m going to create this.”

So don’t think she’s willing to run back to her role as the Queen Bee of East High since she’s all about moving on to something new. Ashley did take to Instagram to share a manip she stumbled upon though of herself, Zac and Vanessa “reuniting” at the 2018 Golden Globes that proves Sharpay, Troy and Gabriella are still going strong. At least that’s how we’re taking this as. “What a great reunion we had ??? (photoshop is getting too real)” Ash wrote in the caption.

 So while this reunion tbh most likely will never happen, at least ashley [reunited with her on-screen twin Lucas Grabeel](//www.m-magazine.com/posts/ashley-tisdale-and-lucas-grabeel-reunite-to-sing-their-high-school-musical-duet-133095 “_self”) to sing a new and improved version of their song “What I’ve Been Looking For” from the first movie. A moment we’re all grateful for. And speaking of…  ## Is Lucas down to appear in _HSM 4_?  A more hopeful response! When we caught up with the actor, he didn’t necessarily say he would want to be in the new movie exactly, but when we asked him if he would down for a reunion, he was all for it.  “Yeah, of course. If Disney calls, my door is always open. We work well together,” [Lucas exclusively told us](//www.j-14.com/posts/lucas-grabeel-high-school-musical-spirit-riding-free-141437 “_self”). So basically if the OG crew wants to get together again, like they did to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the film that started it all, then Lucas is here for it. AND SO ARE WE.  ## What does [Zac Efron](//www.j-14.com/posts/zac-efron-transformation-139655 “_self”) think about another _High School Musical_ movie?  The actor hasn’t flat out commented on the upcoming movie quite yet, and while he has in the past threw some shade at his big break, he clearly knows and respects where he came from. Just take the fact that he posted a lovely throwback photo from 2008 of this time in his life and looked back on it fondly. “So grateful I came across this picture… With the o.g. crew during one of the most cherished and exciting times of my life. Love you guys forever. #fbf,” he wrote in the caption.  

Plus, he even admitted that his favorite HSM moment ever from High School Musical 3: Senior Year actually makes him quite emotional.

“I don’t know there’s so many. I mean the finale when the curtains close tears me up. All of it,” Zac said. SAME ZAC, SAME. So as of right now though, most of the main cast has made it clear HSM 4 is a new era and they don’t have any plans to appear in this specific movie. But someone from the cast who seems to be super excited about possibly coming back? Coach Bolton. Bart Johnson, who played Troy’s dad, took to YouTube to share a hilarious video where he’s in character as Jack Bolton auditioning for the role of Coach Bolton. And yes, it’s amazing.

Perhaps he would really reprise his role in this new movie! We can only hope.

Who is directing the movie?

The legend that is Kenny Ortega directed all three of the HSM movies but when this project was first announced, it was said that Jeffrey Hornaday, who worked on Teen Beach Movie, will direct and choreograph HSM 4. But Kenny admitted he is open to being involved with the movie too.

“I would like to. I would like to be a part of it in any way that I can. I had the time of my life it started a whole new career for me,” Kenny said to People’s Choice. He explained in another interview that he doesn’t know if he can actually work on the movie if the opportunity arises, since he might be committed to another project, but he’s willing to offer his support, which is the sweetest.

“There has been talk that there is going to be a fourth. It’s too early to know whether or not my schedule is going to allow my involvement but I am excited for the fans that have never stopped wishing for another episode. And if there’s anything that I can do to be supportive on any level, I would be more than happy to,” Kenny said.

When he was asked about the HSM reboot during an interview he did while promoting Descendants 2, Kenny made it clear he’s fully aware OG fans would love to see him and the first set of Wildcats back in East High for this fourth movie. But while we all want it to happen, there’s a chance it most likely won’t though.

“[The fans] are talking about how we want you to bring High School Musical 4 and we want you to bring the original cast back. And I’m like, they just don’t look like they’re in high school anymore,” Kenny explained. “I wish that I could give the fans another one, I think we all do, I think we all wish that so that we don’t disappoint the fans. And so that they embrace this new journey, I think you have to begin again. And I think that it’s hard for some of our fans to let go. That was their childhood and they don’t want their childhood to go away. And so my answer to that is watch Descendants 2!”

Is there a trailer for HSM 4?

Well, since there isn’t any footage out there that we know of so as of right now, that would be a no. BUT, there is a fan-made trailer that has circulated on a High School Musical 4 Facebook page from the YouTube account hsmutube that is legit so convincing and makes it seem that Troy, Gabriella, Sharpay, Ryan, Taylor and Chad will be the stars of this next installment that takes place ten years later. Take a look:

ISN’T IT AMAZING? Seriously brought a tear to our eyes. And we’re not the only ones! Bailee Madison, a Disney Channel alum who has said in the past she would love to be in this next installment, even took to Twitter to share her feelings and she’s totally on the same page as all of us.

bailee madison hsm 4 tweet

Same, girl. Monique Coleman, who played Taylor in the HSM movies, said in an interview she was totally impressed by this fan-made trailer too.

“It gave us all, all the feels. We were like who did this, where did they get all these feels from and how did thye put them together?” Monique said. “Honestly, I would do that movie. It looked amazing, it looked so real! [Taylor] would be running something, running a non-profit.”

She already has a storyline in mind, this is TOO MUCH. Vanessa was later asked in an interview with Young Hollywood about the trailer and yes, she saw it and loves it just as much as the rest of us.

“I saw it on Monique’s Instagram, actually. I kind of died [watching it]. I loved it,” Vanessa said. “I had dinner with Ashley that night that I saw it and I was like ‘Babe, did you see this? This is insane.’ And she was like ‘Oh my God, yeah. If we did that movie, I would do that movie.” And I was like ‘I would too. That’s amazing.'”

Umm, okay so V had said she was ready to pass on the baton to the new crop of Wildcats in Disney Channel’s upcoming HSM 4 but it looks like she might just be down for a 10-year later, the squad is all grown up and reunited movie, as would Ashley. This is honestly the greatest. But sadly this trailer is not real and all of the footage in this clip is from other roles the cast has had. Props to whoever made this though because it is some next-level sorerecy up in here.

When is High School Musical 4 coming out?

As of right now, there isn’t any official release date, but we’ll be waiting until there is one. It’s bound to happen, right?

Watch: Coach Bolton Gets Recognized By Fans & It’s the Greatest Moment

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