When High School Musical 3 was released, there was a lot of talk about Disney continuing the franchise with a new bunch of actors (who were introduced in the third movie), but that still hasn’t happened. However the House Of Mouse still know they’re onto a good thing and so are developing a similarly themed project called Prom.
However this one won’t be a musical and will instead follow a bunch of high school kids as they prepare for the big dance. Variety reports that the tone will be similar to the types of teen comedies made by John Hughes or Cameron Crowe (which would suggest it won’t be quite a peppy as High School Musical).
The movie will be directed by Joe Nussbaum (Sydney White) from a script by Katie Wech. However while Disney has been planning the movie for a while, it’s still keeping its options open in regards to exactly how to move forward on the film. It could be made incredibly cheaply with a cast of unknowns, trying to launch a bunch of new stars as High School Musical did, or it might get a big of a budget upgrades and feature some famous faces. Disney is said to be exploring all its options on both the budget and who to cast in the nine major roles before it gives the movie the greenlight.
However for those suffering from High School Musical withdrawal since the release of the third instalment in 2008, Disney is still working on a fourth outing, which is likely to return the franchise to its TV movie roots and feature a completely new bunch of characters. It’s still planned for release later this year, but that might change.