HollywoodLife spoke EXCLUSIVELY with 'HSMTMTS' creator Tim Federle about all issues season 3, together with the brand new characters, Nini's future, the 'season of Gina,' and a lot extra.
At Camp Shallow Lake, something can occur. A few of our favourite Wildcats have traveled to summer time camp for a two-week of extravaganza of music and enjoyable. Since that is Excessive Faculty Musical: The Musical: The Sequence, all the things is just not going to at all times run easily.
After Corbin Bleu shortly left on his chopper after asserting the Frozen musical and the documentary, EJ was named the director of the musical. Ricky found Lily had stolen his Beast harness and shortly discovered himself at camp along with his classmates, whereas Nini left Salt Lake Metropolis for what’s certain to be a life-changing highway journey.
There are such a lot of dynamics at play in season 3, so HollywoodLife bought EXCLUSIVE scoop from creator Tim Federle about what to anticipate past the premiere. He gave an replace about Seb and Large Purple, teased EJ and Gina’s future and whether or not Ricky may come between them, and mentioned Nini’s arc being extra about “identification” than music. Learn our Q&A beneath:
I'm instantly so intrigued by Saylor [Bell] and Adrian [Lyles]. I believe they’re such nice additions to the solid. Transferring ahead, what's going to Maddox and Jet convey to the group?
Tim Federle: I believe any time a bunch of pals go someplace, and the dynamic will get shaken up by new folks, it may possibly form of change all the things. I believe for Saylor, who performs Maddox, she’s very protecting of her time at camp as a result of it’s the one place she will go and actually really feel like herself. For Jet, he’s bought a little bit little bit of a mysterious backstory, and he’s bought quite a lot of demons he’s battling. He doesn't wish to discover himself on this group. The truth is, he thinks theater individuals are so annoying, which we're, by the way in which. I believe there’s actual progress with them this season. Adrian, specifically, has a music later within the season that I discover so lovely and relatable, and I believe individuals are gonna actually freak out over.
Proper at the start of the season, the present talked about the place Seb and Large Purple are? Will we see them extra all through the season?
Tim Federle: They’re so essential to me and to the present that it wouldn’t be a season with out them, so I believe viewers ought to keep tuned.
There are a selection of latest characters, together with Jason Earles and Corbin Bleu. With Jason, ought to we anticipate a Hannah Montana reference sooner or later?
Tim Federle: Jason actually is taking part in a personality this season. There’s a little bit little bit of a wink later this season to Jason Earles within the DCOM cinematic universe. However Jason is simply such a dependable, stable comedian actor who occurs to be our appearing coach on the present. This group of younger actors has grown up watching Jason and has now been coached by Jason for the final couple of years. Placing him on display was the quickest, best choice we ever made.
When did you determine that Corbin was the OG star that you just needed to succeed in out to this time round?
Tim Federle: Actually early on. We had met Corbin at D23 once we launched the pilot a pair years of in the past. He was so gracious with the solid and such a great man. Corbin is a extremely humorous comedian actor who’s actually in on the joke. He is aware of taking part in a fictionalized model of himself is absurd. That was a straightforward dialog. It was like, do you wish to come play in our world and pay tribute to the OG but in addition poke enjoyable at it a little bit bit? He was so down and so recreation and simply so good about the entire thing.
It’s a little bit of a shift in season 3 going to summer time camp fairly than a fall and spring musical. What is going to the summer time camp setting enable that perhaps the college setting doesn’t?
Tim Federle: Nicely, it’s fewer adults and bedtime is later. There’s quite a lot of sneaking round. It’s a little bit Lord of the Flies with the adults away and youngsters take over. I believe there’s simply quite a lot of enjoyable and mischief and hijinks available.
EJ is now the director of the musical. How is he going to juggle that?
Tim Federle: I believe he thought this could be the final summer time he bought to only be a child. And actually, he’s been thrust into this management function earlier than he needed to so, he has quite a lot of issues to determine this season. He and Gina have this good factor going, and neither one among them desires to mess that up. There’s quite a lot of dynamics at play at this two weeks the place nothing’s purported to go flawed.
Ricky and Lily ended issues after he found the harness in her room. Will she be again? I really feel like she’s not going to only go away silently.
Tim Federle: Lily’s like a persistent rash. She’s principally gone, however I believe with Lily you’re gone however by no means forgotten. I believe there’s at all times an opportunity at extra Olivia Keegan sooner or later simply because she’s so sensible.
For Gina, this can be a summer time of firsts for her. I do know you give every character their due, however is that this the season of Gina coming into her personal as a performer and all the things?
Tim Federle: A hundred percent. Sofia Wylie is such a star. She’s so gracious, so ready, so proficient. She is a mogul, and she or he’s going to be a mogul in actual life. Sofia has bought such extraordinary vary as an actor. She’s so humorous, however she will play such deep feelings as effectively. She actually requested for a rom-com season. She actually needed that softer aspect of Gina however with out ever shedding the sting. I believe Sofia completely nails it and has a extremely huge season.
Faculty life is at all times completely different than summer time life. And that may both be a great factor or a foul factor. What are you able to say about EJ and Gina’s relationship and the place that’s going to go?
Tim Federle: I believe that’s their season. That’s what they’re determining now that EJ has even much less availability as a result of he’s so involved with placing on the very best present ever. How this couple can have this superb summer time collectively? Audiences should watch and see.
I've to ask about Rina as a result of followers wish to know. We see EJ speaking to Gina within the final moments of the premiere about how that is going to be their excellent summer time. Nothing’s going to come back between them, after which we've got that imagery of Ricky strolling proper in and interrupting all the things. You talked a couple of rom-com season. Ought to we anticipate a love triangle, maybe?
Tim Federle: I believe love triangles are so baked into so many premises, and definitely had been from season 1 of our present. However I believe Ricky’s respectful and is aware of that he has not at all times achieved proper by Gina and desires to respect the truth that Gina has a great factor going with EJ. Ricky is there to have a summer time of enjoyable. He bought misplaced in Lily Land for a minute and, like, what was he considering? He bounced from Nini who he thought was his endgame to Lily, who was actually enjoyable however in the end fairly darkish. I believe Ricky comes into the summer time really wanting to only have enjoyable, and we've got to see if he pulls that off.
Attainable romance apart, I believe that Ricky and Gina do have a connection by way of only a friendship.
Tim Federle: They’re each outsiders. Ricky was a skater, Gina was the brand new lady, they usually by accident have rather a lot in frequent as soon as they put apart their variations.
Nini’s not at camp, however she has this pivotal speak with Miss Jenn about her future. It appears to be mirroring Olivia’s life in a method. Was that the intention?
Tim Federle: We by no means attempt to write something that feels too parallel as a result of it doesn’t really feel truthful. Weirdly, we’ve typically written a narrative on the present that 6 months later comes true in actual life. On this case, the truth is, I needed to pivot Nini away fairly shortly from this music dream into one thing extra about identification. As you get later episodes, you see Nini discover the place she actually comes from, and it has nothing to do with music or being a pop star. I believe that story is only a completely different route for Nini that we needed to take her in.
So we might be seeing extra of her aside from the primary episode?
Tim Federle: Sure.
Miss Jenn had that dialog with Nini at her home, however she’s not at summer time camp. Will she pop up extra as effectively?
Tim Federle: I might hope so. It feels prefer it’s not Excessive Faculty Musical with out Miss Jenn. She’ll work out a strategy to get in there.
You may have another new characters like Jesse Tyler Ferguson and JoJo Siwa. What are you able to say about their characters?
Tim Federle: They’re there to shake it up and to make a splash for the viewers, but in addition to actually complement and amplify the dynamics of the solid that hopefully folks already love. JoJo has some historical past on the camp. Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s character has some historical past with Nini’s household. It’s simply enjoyable to take these elegant, real huge stars on this planet and see them play in our world. They couldn’t have been pretty or extra gracious.
Frozen is one among my favourite current Disney films. I do know you’re very cryptic about which songs you’re performing, however will we get huge Frozen numbers this season?
Tim Federle: Sure, you'll. Additionally, you’ll get to see some songs from the Broadway manufacturing of Frozen which might be so incredible. And if you happen to haven’t found them already due to the theatrical, then you definately’ll see some duets and there’s a solo. There are simply actually cool issues that Bobby [Lopez] and Kristen [Anderson-Lopez] wrote for that Broadway manufacturing which might be actually particular and that we bought to carry out.
With season 3 being set at summer time camp for simply two weeks, will this lead straight into season 4? Or will a brand new college 12 months be season 4?
Tim Federle: We’re nonetheless figuring that out. It’s nonetheless fairly early within the writers’ room, however we’re fairly sequential. I believe it will make sense that we return to high school, and we’re form of determining all these particulars proper now.