Made-in-Utah 'High Schol Musical 3' will leave the small screen behind

The news was in all of the Utah papers for a day or so when filming started. If not for the Utah Jazz drawing thousands of cameras to Energy Solutions Arena during their 2008 NBA playoff matchups against the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers, however, many people in Utah might never have known that the cast and crew of what may be the biggest movie to open in theaters this fall had been quietly at work in Salt Lake City for more than a month.

"High School Who's-ical?" is what some adults might say, but Hudgens and Efron, who began their off-camera relationship after puppy-loving their way through the first two films in the franchise, are possibly the hottest Walt Disney couple since Mickey and Minnie.

The phenomenon began in 2006, with the debut on cable TV's Disney Channel of the original "High School Musical," a lighthearted teenage romance filmed at Salt Lake City's East High School that wound up taking both the TV industry and the recording industry by storm. "High School Musical" was watched by millions of viewers and its multi-platinum soundtrack was the best-selling U.S. album release in 2006.

"High School Musical 2," filmed in Salt Lake City and St. George and also released via Disney Channel, enjoyed a similar level of success. Which explains why "Senior Year" will open in theaters nationwide on Oct. 24, and why no less a Utahn than Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. personally introduced the cast and key production staff when they spoke to media members prior to the start of filming.

"We are deeply honored and elated to have the cast and crew of 'High School Musical' back to the greatest state in America," Huntsman said.

The affection, according to director and "Musical" mastermind Kenny Ortega, is mutual. "I've always enjoyed working in this community," Ortega said. "Everyone here has made us feel welcome."

It's been all quiet on the production front since filming began, but some things about the new movie's plot are a given -- Sharpay, queen bee of the fictional school's drama circuit and the "Musical" milieu's token "villain," is certain to make trouble for everyone else -- and the cast did have a few things to say during their meeting with the press.

"There are a lot more decisions to make" for the characters, Efron said, than in the previous films. "This is the final year at East High for the Wildcats. Troy has basketball, but there's also his new love of theater."

(The films are not set in Utah despite being shot here almost exclusively, but the moviemakers preserved the name "East High School." They did opt, however, to install a different mascot. The real East High is the "home of the Leopards.")

Efron's "Musical" alter ego, Troy Bolton (no relation to shaggy real-life crooner Michael, despite their shared love of song), discovered an affinity for acting and singing in the first film as a result of sharing a karaoke duet with math nerd Gabriella Montez (Hudgens).

After coming together to steal the lead roles in the school play from siblings Ryan and Sharpay Evans (Lucas Grabeel and Ashley Tisdale) at the end of "High School Musical," Troy and Gabriella continued to make beautiful music -- despite, for Troy, the twin distractions of Sharpay and college basketball recruitment -- over summer break in "High School Musical 2."

Hudgens was more coy about what the kids' final year of high school may entail, but said that fans will "definitely see relationships blossom" in the new film.

And while everyone seemed enthusiastic about the next chapter of their fictional education, at least one of the stars admitted to some butterflies. "I'm kind of nervous, actually," said Tisdale, "about jumping back into Sharpay's shoes."

(Such are the burdens of playing the only character in the series who's not a total sweetheart.)

A fourth "Musical" movie is reportedly being written, but the current crop of stars may not be around for it. Hollywood has already come calling for some of them -- Efron had a key role in last summer's surprise musical hit "Hairspray" -- and Disney might choose not to mess with its winning formula by advancing the story beyond East High School.

Three new actors, Matt Prokop, Justin Martin and Jemma McKenzie-Brown, have been added to the ensemble in "Senior Year" as East High sophomores. So the series could say farewell to its increasingly costly mainstays and stick around right where fans are most comfortable with it.

Besides, "State University Musical" just doesn't have the same ring to it, does it?

You might expect that it's been a strange trip to "Senior Year" for the stars, most of whom were barely known as actors and/or singers when the first film exploded onto the entertainment scene. When instant stardom found him, Efron said, he scarcely knew what to make of it.

"At the time it was almost too good to be true. There aren't a lot of musical movies being made," he said. "We had no idea that it would take off like it did."

Corbin Bleu, who plays Troy's basketball buddy Chad, said he thinks kids (and grownups -- like the "Harry Potter" books, the "High School Musical" movies are not without their contingent of adult admirers) respond to the sincerity of the music.

"Any time that you have a song, it's somebody's heart being imprinted onto a track," Bleu said. "Of all the things, the music is what speaks out to everybody."

And while most of the young performers have been celebrated for their beauty and glamour ¬­-- a semi-shirtless and immaculately chiseled Efron was on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine last August, just weeks before Hudgens created a stir after "private" suggestive photos taken of her found their way to the Internet -- screenwriter Peter Barsocchini said the "untold secret" of "High School Musical" is how top-notch its cast really is.

"Obviously, these kids get covered as idols," Barsocchini said. But the reality is, "every day when they walk into rehearsal, Kenny is working with some really talented actors."

Ortega, who made the creatively ambitious Disney musical "Newsies" in 1992, said he's happy to once again have the opportunity to do a musical for theatrical release. "It's wonderful to return to this place, where you can think in greater dimension," he said.

Of course, with a theatrical release, others will be thinking big, too -- expectations for "Senior Year" are likely to be in the stratosphere by October, and not just on the part of fans. Disney executives and investors will be anxiously watching to see whether the golden goose can produce another golden egg.

Don't talk to the actors about pressure, though. "We're not looking to top anything," Efron said. "Every opportunity to film a movie is an opportunity to grow."

Hudgens said she understands that making the jump to a feature film creates certain expectations, but she thinks that making the movies is too much fun to really worry about it. "That's why kids like it," she said. "They see us having so much fun."

• Cody Clark can be reached at 344-2542 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it