High School Musical star Vanessa Hudgens discusses whether she'll be returning to the franchise. Ever since the beginning of High School: The Musical: The Series, with its meta premise of existing in a world where the High School Movies actually exist as works of fiction, fans have been especially eager to see Hudgens and Zac Efron make an appearance in the Disney+ series as they played the respective lead characters of Gabriella Montez and Troy Bolton in the films.
Over the summer, there were a few indications that the two actors could return to the High School Musical franchise. The first came when Hudgens shared a photo of herself visiting East High, where the movies were set, followed by Efron weeks later. The second, arguably more significant fuel for speculation happened when details about HSMTMTS season 4 were revealed. The upcoming season will feature a reunion of the High School Musical movie cast, having already recruited HSM alums Corbin Bleu, Monique Coleman, Bart Johnson, Alyson Reed, Kaycee Stroh, and Lucas Gabreel in guest appearances.
Speaking with EW, Hudgens explained the backstory behind the viral photo of her visit to East High. The actor said that she was in Salt Lake, where East High is located, and she was feeling nostalgic about her old stomping grounds. But when asked when she'd show up for High School Musical season 4, Hudgens was a little less forthcoming — though she didn't completely rule it out:
"I don't know. We leave it up to fate. Leave it up to the gods."
How Vanessa Hudgens Can Return In High School Musical Season 4
The forthcoming season of HSMTMTS will see much of the movie cast returning to film a reunion special. The characters of HSMTMTS, including Ricky (Joshua Bassett) and Gina (Sofia Wylie), will be background extras in the special. Although it's likely that they will still be the primary focus of the Disney+ show. It's possible to utilize Hudgens in such a way that she passes the torch to Gina in an episode. Efron, if he returns as well, could share a similarly resonant scene with Ricky or someone else. But it's worth noting that, so far, the original HSM actors have not played a major role in the streaming continuation.
The biggest so far has been Corbin Bleu, who played Chad in the movies. He was an important part of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series season 3, but he was never anywhere near the focus. His presence was mostly to offer a bit of levity and propel the other stories forward. Given that the namesake franchise looks to play a more central role moving forward, at least based on the reunion setup, it will be interesting to see whether the balance between the new cast and the original shifts as a result.
Source: EW