In a recent interview with ET, showrunner Tim Federle has confirmed that Grammy winner Olivia Rodrigo will officially be exiting her role as Nini in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series after the upcoming third season. The “Driver’s License” singer has been part of the main cast since the first season of the Disney+ teen series.
Federle went on to tease that season three will be giving Nini a proper sendoff as she ventures out of East High for a chance at building her music career in Los Angeles.
“I think she’s ready to explore the world outside the halls of East High,” Federle said. “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.”
He continued, “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. 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.”
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High School Musical: The Musical: The Series is a mockumentary musical teen drama that follows a group of students at East High. It currently stars Olivia Rodrigo as Nini, Joshua Bassett as Ricky, Matt Cornett as E.J., Sofia Wylie as Gina, Julia Lester as Ashlyn, Dara Reneé as Kourtney, Frankie Rodriguez as Carlos, Kate Reindeers as Miss Jenn, and Olivia Rose Keegan as Lily.
“Season 3 is set at Camp Shallow Lake, a sleepaway camp 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,” reads the logline. “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.”
The next installment will not only feature the cast singing the songs of Frozen, but they are also expected to perform more songs from the High School Musical films as well as another iconic Disney Channel original movie, Camp Rock.
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Joining the third season as new series regulars are newcomer Adrian Lyles as Camp Shallow Lake’s mysterious new kid, Jet, and Saylor Bell as bright-eyed, quick-witted “techie,” named Maddox. The guest-star lineup for this new season includes Disney vets Meg Donnelly (Disney’s Zombies franchise) as a Camp Counselor-in-training named Val, Jason Earles (Hannah Montana) as Camp director Dewey Wood, and High School Musical franchise star Corbin Bleu as himself.
High School Musical: The Musical: The Series is executive produced by Tim Federle (Ferdinand) and Oliver Goldstick (Pretty Little Liars), along with the original film’s EPs Bill Borden and Barry Rosenbush.
The series is set to make its return on July 27.
