I always get a tad excited when it comes time for a Disney kid to leave the nest. Over the years, we've watched some Disney kids grow up to have tremendous careers (Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, Ryan Gosling, Keri Russell). Then there are those who, well, are about one nut away from the loony bin (Britney Spears). Now a new crop of the Mouse crew are growing up and getting ready to branch out into various big-screen areas. We're talking kids like Zac Efron, Ashley Tisdale and, of course, Vanessa "Take My Picture" Hudgens. Recently, the drama hit Hudgens a few years early when nude photos of the gal were leaked online, prompting everyone to wonder whether Disney would cut ties with her prior to completing their High School Musical franchise. So far they haven't done that, and Hudgens is currently expected to appear in High School Musical 3, but other offers are starting to trickle in and she's jumping on them.

The Hollywood Reporter tells us Hudgens has signed on to co-star in a new coming-of-age dramedy called Will. Calm down there boys, she's not going hardcore just yet; it seems the gal will remain in the friendly teen world for now. The film tells of a "high school outcast and a popular girl who form an unlikely bond through their shared love of music. They assemble a like-minded crew of misfits and form a rock group to perform in a battle of the bands competition at their school." HR says Hudgens will play "Sam, a 15-year-old former stutterer now speaking slowly and deliberately, who becomes romantically entangled with the lead outcast." So it sounds like she's playing the popular girl, though they emphasize this stuttering issue, so I don't know. The film was written by Todd Graff and Josh Cagan, with Graff (Camp) taking on directorial duties. Will is scheduled to begin shooting next month in Austin.

• The duo who brought us the likes of Chicken Little, Steve Bencich and Ron Friedman, have just sold their latest pitch, The Devil You Know, to 20th Century Fox. The film will be an adaptation of Nathan Hale's children's book, and while they're known for their animated films, this will be live-action. The books are about the Fell family, who share their house with a literal "little devil." The get fed up with his trouble-making, and call on Ms. Phisto (a spoof on Mary Poppins and Mephistopheles) to get rid of him and take his place. However, she proves to be more trouble -- she brings in boxes full of demons and calls a lake of fire and brimstone in the kitchen. How the pair are handling the adaptation is being kept under wraps, but hopefully it will maintain the charm and quirkiness of the original.
• The writer/director who brought us Camp in 2003, Todd Graff, is gearing up for another teen movie fueled by music. He is currently re-writing Josh Kagan's coming-of age dramedy -- Will. It is about an outcast in high school who befriends a popular girl because of their love for music. They bring together "a like-minded crew of misfits," form a rock group and plan to compete in their school's battle of the bands. Basically, it's just like Camp, but not at camp. Stay tuned for his upcoming films about misfits joining to form an air band for the local talent show, students doing a music internship over Spring break and wacky hi-jinx from a high school chorus class.
• In October, Mark Beall reported that Mark Waters, The House of Yes and Mean Girls, was going to be directing Walden's Media's upcoming film on Harry Houdini. Slowly but surely, the project is coming together and they've finally got a screenwriter. Variety has reported that Brett Merryman will be grabbing the pen to write the story about a 14-year-old boy who finds out that he is a Houdini descendant -- and decides to go on a quest to unlock the secrets of his famous ancestor. I'm waiting to see if the film gets the word "house" in it. Three out of the four films the screenwriter has been involved with have has it in the title.