Chinese 'High School Musical' on its way

SHANGHAI, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- The Walt Disney Co. in China has announced the start of production on "Disney High School Musical: China," a movie set for theatrical release next summer.

Disney said its collaboration with the Shanghai Media Group and Huayi Brothers Media Corp. was created uniquely for Chinese audiences and has been in development for more than a year.

"Disney High School Musical: China" is about a new student who meets a gifted young man with whom she shares a secret passion for singing. With the help of their friends, they overcome the odds to win an inter-school singing competition, Disney said in a news release.

"Disney's ongoing commitment to local content development underpins our strategy to connect with new audiences around the world," Jason Reed, general manager of Walt Disney Studios International Production, said in a statement Sunday. "Our local team has done an amazing job and we are fortunate to be building on the Disney Channel's success by working with a world class cast and crew led by our producer Janet Yang and visionary director Shi Zheng Chen. The choice of the right stories and best local partners is key to the success of our localization strategy. Shanghai Media Group and Huayi Brothers Media Corp. are leaders in their field and their involvement and contribution to this project is invaluable."

"Disney High School Musical: China" is being filmed in Shanghai and features six new young stars from across China.

The "High School Musical" franchise started out with two U.S. television movies and a third installment, which was released in theaters. All three American movies starred Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Corbin Blue and Ashley Tisdale.