Wildcats, it’s almost summer, so it’s nearly time for High School Musical: The Musical: The Series Season 3. The new season leaves East High’s walls behind for fresh air — and drama — that comes at the sleepaway camp, Camp Shallow Lake. Ahead of the season premiere on Wednesday, July 27, Disney+ released a first look at the season through E! News. Disney+ will debut each of the eight episodes weekly.
E! News unveiled a new gallery of photos, including the first look at the new cast members and campers for HSMTMTS Season 3. We know the cast will include three Disney Channel alums, including Hannah Montana‘s Jason Earles. He will guest star as Dewey Wood, camp director of Camp Shallow Lake, described as a “stone-faced killjoy.” Dewey doesn’t express those vibes (yet) in the first official clip of the series, but it seems like his demeanor could clash with Corbin Bleu‘s.
Like Lucas Grabeel in Season 1, Bleu will guest star as a version of himself. Bleu is the second of the original six High School Musical stars to appear on HSMTMTS. He is all about the showmanship in the clip below, and it’s the energy Camp Shallow Lake needs for such a big announcement — they’re putting on Frozen. The Season 3 musical was confirmed in November of 2021, but it’s another thing to see the Wildcats react to the news.
Portwell fans can rejoice about the clip below because it seems like EJ may have something to do with Bleu’s announcement since EJ appears to be in the know — teasing it all as a surprise for Gina. His excitement anticipating her excitement is everything a Portwell fan can dream of, so imagine how the rest of Season 3 will deliver!
The clip shows glimpses of other Wildcats attending Camp Shallow Lake, like Ashlyn, Carlos, and Kourtney. There’s also a quick look at a new cast member and camper, Sayla Bell Curda as Maddox, who joins the show alongside Adrian Lyles as Jet. Matt Cornett‘s Zombies 3 co-star Meg Donnelly will also appear as Val.
Even with those new exciting additions, some key HSMTMTS cast members are missing from the photos’ usual line-up. E! News confirms Olivia Rodrigo will appear as Nini on Season 3 “but in a limited capacity.” In addition, Joshua Bassett, Sofia Wylie, Matt Cornett, Julia Lester, Dara Reneé, and Frankie Rodriguez return as series regulars. Meanwhile, Kate Reinders, Olivia Rose Keegan, Larry Saperstein, and Joe Serafini will make guest appearances.
HSMTMTS‘ executive producer Tim Federle told E! News a bit about what fans can expect from Camp Shallow Lake’s campers. “A new season in a new environment is bound to bring new drama, and I can’t wait for audiences to see the Wildcats come head-to-head and heart-to-heart with Shallow Lake campers Jet, Maddox, and Val,” he said.
He added, “It’s a season full of songs—and second chances—under the stars!” Of course, that quote can’t be a coincidence, considering the Season 2 finale’s themes and big number, “Second Chances,” is about Ricky, Nina, Gina, and EJ grappling with that concept. So is Camp Shallow Lake the perfect place for those second chances? Luckily, we don’t have to wait much longer to find out.
Until then, we can start guessing who will play which roles in Frozen and who will be tackling which songs from the Camp Rock and High School Musical franchises. Ideally, HSMTMTS will know EJ has grown past the typecasted role of being the villain in a Disney production, and he won’t take on the part of Hans. Knowing HSMTMTS, there could be a twist in casting this year to accompany the rest of the season’s changes.
According to the official description, HSMTMTS Season 3 will be all about “romance, curfew-less nights, and a taste of the great outdoors.”
It continues: “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.” As fun as Camp Shallow Lake sounds on the surface, the Wildcats won’t be able to avoid drama — look no further than Camp Rock.
Coincidentally, the gallery photos have all the vibes a summer season of HSMTMTS should have as it embraces songs from Camp Rock and the HSM franchises. The group shot gives off the same energy as Glee‘s big cast pictures. Furthermore, the color palette is reminiscent of Disney Channel’s Teen Beach Movie. There’s a lot to love about this season, and we’ve only seen a few photos and a few minutes of footage.
Do you think East High’s Wildcats can work this out at Camp Shallow Lake? Even if the season ends on a cliffhanger, at least we know the story doesn’t permanently end there. Disney+ confirmed in May that HSMTMTS would return for Season 4!
Watch the first clip, below:
Check out the Season 3 gallery:
What do you think of this HSMTMTS news? Let us know in the comments below!
High School Musical: The Musical: The Series Season 3 premieres Wednesday, June 27 on Disney+!
