It’s the beginning of the end for Olivia Rodrigo‘s character Nini on High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.
Speaking with Entertainment Tonight, series creator and showrunner Tim Federle teased that, in the upcoming third season of the show, art might imitate life a bit for Rodrigo, who, since joining the show in its first two seasons, has won 3 Grammys and had massive success with her debut album Sour.
Fans of the Disney+ series will recall that her character received an opportunity to go to Los Angeles to explore her songwriting dreams at the end of last season, and therefore in season 3, she’ll be off on her own adventure.
“I think she’s ready to explore the world outside the halls of East High,” Federle said of Nini’s path forwards. “And Olivia herself was having such a monumental explosion in the music industry that it felt like the right thing to, frankly, work with Olivia to say, ‘How do we get you out there into the world with us taking a little bit more of a backseat?’ Which we were all proud to do to support her.”
“And so this season it’s about trying to give her character a proper sendoff while also leaving room for other characters to really step into the fray and step into the spotlight,” he added. “And personally, it’s a joy to see Olivia’s music explode in such a big way. It was so fun to have her back and reminisce on the beginning.”
Fred Hayes/Disney Olivia Rodrigo as Nini in ‘HSMTMTS’
Nini’s journey aside, the rest of season 3 is set at Camp Shallow Lake in California, as the Wildcats and their fellow campers are primed for an unforgettable summer ripe with romance, curfew-less nights, and a taste of the great outdoors. With a high-stakes production of Frozen on the horizon and a drama-filled docu-series of the production in the works, the Wildcats will attempt to show who is “best in snow” without leaving anyone out in the cold.
Joshua Bassett, Sofia Wylie, Matt Cornett, Julia Lester, Dara Reneé, Frankie Rodriguez, Saylor Bell Curda, and Adrian Lyles all star in the news episodes. Also featured this season are recurring guest stars Corbin Bleu (playing himself), Meg Donnelly, Jason Earles, Kate Reinders, Aria Brooks, Liamani Segura, Ben Stillwell, and Rodrigo, as well as guest stars Olivia Rose Keegan, Larry Saperstein, and Joe Serafini. The new episodes will also feature newcomers Jesse Tyler Ferguson and JoJo Siwa.
Season 3 of HSMTMTS debuts on Disney+ July 27.
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