Zac Not Too Cool for School Payday

Wed., Nov. 28, 2007 2:33 PM PST by Gina Serpe

As after-school jobs go, Zac Efron's is shaping up to be more lucrative than most.

After months of playing coy and holding out for approval of a final script, the Disney star has at long last signed on to reprise his tween heartthrob role in High School Musical 3 for a $3 million payday, per Entertainment Weekly.

The 20-year-old's allowance for the kid-friendly trilogy is more substantial than his fellow East Highers and his signing completes the alignment of the HSM stars.

Neither Efron nor Disney has commented—or is ever likely to—on the report of the seven-figure salary.

For weeks it's been reported that Efron, along with girlfriend Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Tisdale, were all seeking pay hikes for HSM3, which, unlike its TV-movie predecessors, is targeting a theatrical release.

All three stars have publicly maintained that they would be back for the installment, which director Kenny Ortega has said will focus on the gang's senior year and include the requisite prom scenes.

Efron was one of the last Wildcat holdouts to complete negotiations, apparently waiting to for the right amount and the perfect screenplay.

"If we all agree on a final script, then there's nothing that is going to hold us back from doing it," he said.

Earlier this month, both Hudgens and Tisdale confirmed they had signed on for another round of song-and-dance shenanigans, though declined to confirm reports of a hefty payday of their own.

Then again, they didn't deny them.

"We don't talk about our income, but Disney's great!" Tisdale told reporters at the American Music Awards.

Cameras roll on HSM3 in March, with Corbin Bleu, Monique Coleman and Lucas Grabeel also due back.

News of Efron's big payday comes after he proved his big-screen mettle in this year's Hairspray and was attached to channel Kevin Bacon in a remake of Footloose. He's also got a brand-new gig to work on before he resumes High School Musical duties.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Matthew Perry has signed on to join Efron in the Big-like comedy Seventeen. The film centers on an average father (Perry) who wakes up to find he's once again a teenager (Efron). In an effort to befriend his own children, he enrolls in the their high school and passes himself off as a new student.

Production on the film kicks off next month.