Disney+'s High School Musical Series First Look: Is This the New Troy and Gabriella?
If this doesn’t have you singing, we’re not sure what will.
When the Disney+ streaming service launches, it will also mark the kickoff of the much-anticipated High School Musical television series, aptly (or confusingly, at least for our copy editors) titled High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.
The show follows a group of high school juniors putting on their school’s theatrical production of (you guessed it) High School Musical. And PEOPLE has exclusive first-look photos at the whole thing. Will there be a new Zac Efron or Vanessa Hudgens in the bunch?
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“Doing theater is all about finding your tribe,” creator and showrunner Tim Federle tells PEOPLE. “I can’t wait till the world meets the crazy-talented new tribe of High School Musical: the Musical: the Series.”
Ricky (Joshua Bassett) is a charismatic skater who auditions for the musical in an attempt to win back his ex-girlfriend, Nini (Olivia Rodrigo), despite her new boyfriend, E.J. (Matt Cornett). And E.J. even wears a Troy Bolton basketball jersey, just like Efron did in the original movie.
But Ricky has his guitar… and possibly the lead role opposite Nini? That could be a good way to win her heart, which his why he’s auditioning in front of drama teacher Miss Jenn (Kate Reinders) and choreographer Carlos (Frankie A. Rodriguez).
Check out how Nini is reacting to Ricky’s audition as she sits beside E.J. and his cousin Ashlyn (Julia Lester). Sounds like we might have a showmance love triangle on our hands!
Nini nabs the lead — and looks gorgeous in Gabriella’s iconic red dress.
The original High School Musical movie — starring Efron, Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Corbin Bleu, Lucas Grabeel, and Monique Coleman — premiered on the Disney Channel on Jan. 20, 2006. A sequel followed on the network on Aug. 17, 2007, and then a third (centered around the group’s big graduation) hit theaters on Oct. 24, 2008.
The original story followed Troy Bolton (Efron), a star basketball player who starts thinking he also might like to sing (and participate in the school musical) after a ski lodge song with Gabriella (Hudgens), who winds up being the new girl in his school.
“There aren’t a lot of writers who get to launch a new streaming platform like Disney+,” Federle says. “It’s a privilege to create a love letter to fans of the original High School Musical movies while also making an irreverent, feel-good musical for a new generation.”
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High School Musical: The Musical: The Series launches with Disney+, a new streaming platform, on Nov. 12. The first episode of the series will be screened at D23 Expo on Friday — and the full cast will be in attendance for a panel afterward.
