Fans of the High School Musical film series have been begging for a fourth movie for years, and it’s finally here, but not in the way anyone expected.

High School Musical premiered on Disney Channel in 2006 and was an instant success. The Disney Channel Original Movie spawned two sequels, one direct-to-video spinoff film, and one adaptation television series made for Disney+. Given the franchise's success, many fans have been pleading for a fourth film featuring the original cast — Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Corbin Bleu, Lucas Grabeel, and Monique Coleman. Unfortunately, in the years since High School Musical 3: Senior Year, there has been little to no talk about making another movie — until now.

High School Musical: The Musical: The Series premiered on Disney+ in late 2019. Instead of continuing the story within the world of the Disney Channel film, the first season of the television show featured a group of high schoolers attending the real East High (where High School Musical was filmed) and putting on a production of High School Musical. Its meta premise is strange and confusing at times, but High School Musical: The Musical: The Series fully embraces the heart and soul of the original movie. Now, as it heads into its fourth season in August 2023, the show is also delivering something fans have waited 15 years for — High School Musical 4​​​.

After the first season of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series focused on a high school production of High School Musical, the second season (surprisingly) featured the characters doing Beauty & the Beast. Then, the third season followed more closely to High School Musical 2's story when Ricky, Gina, E.J., Ashlyn, Kourtney, and Carlos attended summer camp, where they put on a musical of Frozen. The series will return to its High School Musical roots for its fourth and final season as Miss Jenn decides to do High School Musical 3: Senior Year for the school musical, while High School Musical 4: The Reunion is filmed at East High.

The premise is a bit convoluted, but it basically entails the making of a fictional fourth movie of the hit Disney franchise. Part of the original High School Musical cast — Corbin Bleu, Lucas Grabeel, Monique Coleman, Kaycee Stroh, Bart Johnson, and Alyson Reed — will appear in the fourth season as fictionalized versions of themselves as they return to East High to film High School Musical 4: The Reunion. The producers of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series have insisted that other actors like Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, and Ashley Tisdale won't appear in the upcoming season, but that won't stop fans from hoping they do.

High School Musical: The Musical: The Series has always been meta, but it is going all out for its fourth season. So, when all is said and done, fans will not get a full-length fourth High School Musical film, but this might be the next best thing. The episodes, which all premiere on August 9, 2023, will likely show some of the finished product of the fictional movie. Perhaps if all goes well, a legitimate High School Musical 4: The Reunion could be coming to theaters soon.

The High School Musical TV Show Proves Disney Knows You Want HSM4

Given that the meta High School Musical 4: The Reunion storyline is taking place in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series season 4, Disney is acknowledging the fans' desire for another High School Musical movie. The higher-ups know the demand for a fourth film exists, so they are giving audiences a tease of a potential production with the Disney+ show. A fourth film featuring the original cast (including Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, and Ashley Tisdale) may never come to fruition, given it has been 15 years since High School Musical 3: Senior Year came out in theaters. However, the meta storyline could make viewers want one more than ever.

High School Musical 4: The Reunion being made within the confines of the adaption series is an exciting premise. But it will likely only set more fire to the flame that is the audience's pleas for another movie. Hopefully, the upcoming episodes are only the beginning of a reunion between the original cast members and their iconic characters. But fans will have to tune in to High School Musical: The Musical: The Series season 4 to learn how the show handles the meta premise and if there is more to come for the High School Musical franchise following the series' conclusion.