HSM3 S&S #6: because they can party even without Sharpay
HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3
SPOILERS AND SPECULATION THREAD
That's right folks, it's HSM3 Time! Contracts are being signed,
scripts are being mass produced, casting calls are opening up
and Disney is ready for March!
What do we know?
Well, since this is only the beginning - this is what we know for sure:
The third installment of the franchise will center around Prom & Graduation
Filming to start May 3 (Utah Film Commission)
Big Screen Premiere in October 2008 (rumored to be in SLC)
Three new cast members have been added - Matt Prokop, Jemma McKenzie-Brown, & Justin Martin (WD Press Release)
I know, big list, big list.
More Gabriella
Troy & Taylor Scene
Ryan & Gabriella Duet
More Darbus
The Infamous Boltbus Duet
Sharpay & Taylor, and Sharpay & Gabriella Face Off Duets
As always, this is just a beginning - so watch out for these opening posts to change - a lot.
'Musical' kids return for 'Senior Year'
Musical to debut in theaters on Oct. 24
By MARC GRASERThe cast of Disney Channel's "High School Musical" franchise has agreed to enroll in a third outing of the runaway hit that Walt Disney Pictures will bow in theaters Oct. 24.
Set to return for "High School Musical 3: Senior Year" are Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Lucas Grabeel, Corbin Bleu and Monique Coleman.
Project had already been in the works as a theatrical release after the second TV movie attracted a record-breaking audience for Disney Channel.
And much of the cast was expected to return for the pic that starts lensing in the spring. But questions remained whether Disney would offer up big enough paydays to bring back its stars, especially Efron, after the TV movies became an instant phenom and put them on the map, drumming up offers for pics at the major studios, as a result.
Efron is currently lensing the comedy "Seventeen" for New Line and is signed to star in a redo of "Footloose" at Paramount.
Kenny Ortega will direct "HSM3" from a script by Peter Barsocchini. Both helmed and penned the first two TV movies. Bill Borden, Barry Rosenbush and Don Schain will produce.
Pic will revolve around seniors Troy (Efron) and Gabriella (Hudgens) facing the prospect of being separated from one another as they head off in different directions to college. Joined by the rest of the Wildcats, they stage an elaborate spring musical reflecting their experiences, hopes and fears about their future.
Last summer, 18.2 million viewers tuned into "High School Musical 2," making it the largest audience for a basic-cable telecast. Its soundtrack was the No. 2 album of 2007 in the U.S. selling 6.5 million units. Disney Channel says first "HSM" has been seen by 250 million viewers worldwide since it bowed in 2006.
Good news Wildcats fans — the major stars of “High School Musical” will be back for the third installment of the popular Disney Channel movie series, and this time they are heading to the big screen.
After weeks of speculation, Disney formally announced today that Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Lucas Grabeel, Corbin Bleu and Monique Coleman will be filming the new installment, “High School Musical 3: Senior Year,” this spring.
Kenny Ortega will direct the film based on a screenplay by Peter Barsocchini, who wrote the scripts for "HSM1" and "HSM2."
“We’re thrilled to have all of the talented cast members who helped to make ‘High School Musical’ such an incredible phenomenon joining us for this big screen motion picture event,” Oren Aviv, president, Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production said in a statement.
In addition to announcing their box office move, Disney let slip some news about the plot – Troy (Efron) and Gabrielle (Hudgens) face the prospect of being separated from each other as they go off in different directions to college.
Once again, the group will be staging a musical within a musical, and it will be full of revved up dance numbers according to Disney.
All six of the High School Musical stars have officially signed on for High School Musical 3: Senior Year, Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Productions announced Monday.
Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Corbin Bleu, Monique Coleman and Lucas Grabeel will star in the third and final installment, a feature film. The first two movies aired to a record number of viewers on The Disney Channel.
Director Kenny Ortega tells PEOPLE he's excited about working one last time with the cast, a group of virtually unknown actors before the first HSM movie's January 2006 debut.
"I am the luckiest guy in the world and I know it," Ortega says. "This will be our last time together and I love working with these kids so much. It's going to be great."
Tisdale, who will reprise her role as school diva Sharpay, says she looks forward to returning to East High set in Utah one last time.
"I'm excited," Tisdale tells PEOPLE. "But it's going to be sad. It seems like it will be graduation and I'll be crying while we're filming."
According to the studio, HSM 3: Senior Year finds high school seniors Troy [Efron] and Gabriella [Hudgens] facing the prospect of being separated from one another as they head off in different directions to college. Joined by the rest of the Wildcat crew, they stage an elaborate spring musical reflecting their experiences, hopes and fears about their future.
Quote:
Disney's "High School Musical" phenomenon leaps onto the big screen in "High School Musical 3: Senior Year," which finds Troy (Zac Efron) and Gabriella (Vanessa Hudgens) facing the prospect of being separated from one another as they head off in different directions to college. Joined by the rest of the Wildcats, they stage an elaborate Spring Musical reflecting their experiences, hopes, and fears about their future. With incredible new music and dance numbers designed to take maximum advantage of the big screen, this motion picture extravaganza delivers plenty of high-energy entertainment from East High's talented ensemble. "High School Musical 3: Senior Year" will be released only in theaters in Fall, 2008.
Behind the Scenes: 'High School Musical 3'
#Chris Connelly Talks to the Talented Young Cast as They Prepare for a Prom Night Scene
May 20, 2008
The songs, the spirit and the sensation of Disney's television movie "High School Musical" (both "1" and "2") set off a full-throttle show business phenomenon and transformed the lives of its young stars, like Zac Efron.
"You wake up one day and suddenly, you're just cool. I'm not different at all than I've ever been. I don't know what changed," said the 20-year-old teen icon who plays the role of Troy Bolton, a popular basketball team captain.
What hasn't changed is the talent and camaraderie of the cast, now reunited with director Kenny Ortega to shoot "High School Musical 3: Senior Year."
Chris Connelly caught up with the cast on-set getting ready to film a prom night scene.
"We have, like, a prom scene. It's actually a play that we're putting on about a prom ... I have to say we've never dressed so nice -- it almost feels out of character. But you only get to do it once," Efron said.
"So, this is my prom dress, and it's feathery; it's pink; it's rhinestone; it's fun. It's really cool," Ashley Tisdale said as she showed her dress to Connelly. The 22-year-old actress-turned-pop star plays the role of the antagonizing Sharpey Evans.
"And my favorite part about this outfit, when I turn around, it's got Danforth #8 on the back," said Corbin Bleu, a 19-year-old actor who plays Chad Danforth, a member of the East High Wildcats, and Troy's best friend.
"High School Musical 3" will be the first film in the series to open on the big screen, and it'll show its senior-year characters facing some big moments.
"Our kids are growing up. You know, we're now seniors moving into the future, together," Ortega said.
"You see the characters grow up a lot more so than ever before. You know, you have college, you have your relationships, and just trying to figure out which path to take is tough," said Vanessa Hudgens, who stars in the film as Gabriella Montez.
"Troy usually has a pretty big decision to make in every film. And in this movie, you see Troy struggling with these decisions ... whether to, you know, pursue basketball or pursue theater. And it's a pretty big one for him. It's pretty cool," Efron said.
"It's the first time that Troy and I actually get a chance to do a number together ... I'm not going to give it away. Surprise is always the best," Bleu said.
With 17 dance numbers in all, "High School Musical 3" has enough high-energy throwdowns to leave even these actors gasping for breath.
"I came into rehearsals a few weeks late -- bad idea. It was tough catching up with everybody. Corbin, who's just the most incredible natural dancer I've ever seen. I mean, Vanessa's tough to keep up with, man," Efron said.
The day Connelly caught the cast on set, they had just finished 12 hours of straight dancing.
"I think I grew a full shoe size. My feet are so swollen. It's pretty bad, but it's worth it," said Monique Coleman, who plays Taylor McKessie, the leader of East High's science club.
"Well, actually, the shoes are comfortable," Tisdale said. "We had ballroom shoes on and everyone was wearing heels and everybody was like, 'Argh, my feet hurt,' and I'm like, 'Mine are great!'"
Like the earlier films, this one is not being shot on a Hollywood soundstage, but at a real high school: Salt Lake City's East High School.
Even as the last day of shooting, in late June, will be a time for bittersweet farewells, the sheer joy and exhilaration of getting to do a "High School Musical" one more time shows no sign of stopping.
"We all pump ourselves up so much. Like, before the beginning of a take, you'll see us all screaming, 'Whooo! Hooo! Yeah!' Like screaming! And we just get so pumped," Hudgens said.
"But to come back to Utah and be with my friends, it's just a dream come true. I called my mom and dad on the first day and was, like, 'I feel like I'm on vacation.' ... We really are friends and it's pretty fun," Efron said.
Thanks for opening Cris!
