disney+ has arrived and with it comes one of their most anticipated new original series, "High School Musical: The Musical: The Series." The reboot, which has already been renewed for a second season, takes a new spin on the series and follows a group of high school juniors putting out their school's production of "High School Musical," the Disney movie that put Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens on the map.
Showrunner Tim Federle told PEOPLE that it's an honor to create a show that's a love letter to fans of the original "High School Musical," franchise, while also making a musical for a new generation of fans.
The original "High School Musical" starred Efron, Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Corbin Bleu, Lucas Grabeel, and Monique Coleman. The first film debuted on the Disney Channel in 2006. A sequel aired the following year, and then a third film arrived in theaters in 2008.
'High School Musical: The Musical: The Series' introduces a new cast of characters
Ricky is a charismatic skater, who auditions and wins the lead role of Troy, in an attempt to win back his ex-girlfriend Nini, despite her new boyfriend E.J. Both Nini and Ricky win the leading roles as Gabriella and Troy, much to the surprise of E.J., who appeared to have the role in the bag.
The pair must put aside their differences to put on a successful show, as they get ready for a season of dancing, singing and drama.
The first season will have 10 episodes, which will also follow fellow student Gina Porter, E.J.'s cousin Ashlyn Caswell and new drama teacher Miss Jenn.
Disney+ drawing Disney Channel stars to fill the cast of characters
Several of the stars have been plucked from the Disney Channel. Joshua Bassett (Ricky), was last seen as Aidan on the third season of "Stuck in the Middle." Olivia Rodrigo (Nini), played Paige Olvera on the Disney Channel show "Bizaardvark," from 2016-2019.
Theater teacher, Reinders, has had a long and lustrous career on Broadway.
This is Disney+'s other original series that was made available upon launch of the streaming service. Disney+ is already working on several new Marvel-based shows including "WandaVision" which will star Avengers alumni Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany, and also "The Falcon and The Winter Soldier," which will star Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan, reprising their roles from the films.
Disney has also confirmed a planned reboot of "Lizzie McGuire," complete with Hillary Duff returning to reprise the titular character. There's also a possible "Hocus Pocus" sequel in the works, for a possible Halloween 2020 release. The first episode is only available, each episode will drop on a weekly basis.
