Disney has announced plans for a fourth installment of the wildly popular High School Musical franchise.

The fourth iteration of the High School Musical series will begin production later this year and premiere in 2010.

The Disney Channel said in a statement Tuesday that the new movie will introduce a brand new cast of characters and will follow a love story and the cross-town rivalry between the East High Wildcats and West High Knights.

“High School Musical” drew an audience of 7.7 million when it debuted in 2006. “High School Musical 2” more than doubled viewership of the original with 17.2 million in 2007. “High School Musical 3” was released in theaters in 2008 and made more than $40 million its opening weekend.

HSM and HSM2 were made as TV movies, with HSM3 hitting cinemas worldwide. It is reported that HSM4 will mark a return to the series’ Disney Channel roots.

Sources:  The Associated Press and PopCrunch.