High School Musical 3 likely to start shooting season three in spring

'High School Musical 3" is likely to start shooting in spring, according to director and choreographer Kenny Ortega.

"We've got a script, we're developing the music, and it looks like we've rounded up the cast. We're looking at dates," Ortega said. "Preproduction will start in January."

The film will be shot in Salt Lake City, he added.

He won't, however, divulge the story line of the much-anticipated, latest sequel in the "High School Musical" phenomenon.

"I can say, we're sort of returning to East High in the last year of the Wildcats [basketball team]," Ortega told the Daily News.

As with its cast, "HSM" has made Ortega a pop star of sorts with fans of the Disney film. And this for someone who has worked with the likes of Madonna, Cher and Elton John; has directed such shows as "The Gilmore Girls," "Ally McBeal" and "Chicago Hope," and has worked on many films.

"It has brought me a kind of recognition I've never had," said the 57-year-old Ortega. "In the past, it was a certain audience - older, loved dance - that knew me. This is bigger and more awesome than I ever thought for myself."

Indeed, when Disney throws a premiere for a "HSM" ice show, Ortega gets as many cheers as cast members. He has also choreographed the red-hot Miley Cyrus "Hannah Montana" concert tour.

"It was quite unintentional," Ortega said of the notoriety. "The Disney Channel likes to shoot behind-the-scenes. The audience enjoys learning about the process of making a film....Then they [Disney] just put it out there. I came to discover, as I walk through a mall or go to the movies, kids are coming up and saying, 'Are you the dance man?' 'Are you the director of "High School Musical"?' Now, it's 'Are you Kenny Ortega?'"

Considering that hundreds of millions of people have seen the films around the world, it's no wonder Ortega has become a "name" just like "HSM" stars Vanessa Anne Hudgens and Corbin Bleu.

"It's wonderful, and wakes you up to a responsibility you have with this audience," he said of the attention.

Ortega, like most, never expected "HSM" to be as big as it became. He said he took the job as a warmup to get back into movie directing.

"I was looking for a little film, something under the radar, something to get back behind the camera and into features," Ortega explained. "It just so happened, this is one that wanted to blossom into this phenomenal success."

And it continues to grow.

The DVD of "HSM2" will be released Dec. 11 - in time for holiday giving - and the third one is targeted for theatrical release in the fall.

"I'm not stressing 'High School Musical 3,' just as I didn't in 'High School Musical 2,'" Ortega said. "There's so much to design with choreography, developing numbers. There's so much to consider with the scope of this whole project. Focusing on [the question] 'Can we beat ourselves?' takes you away from where the focus needs to be."