This HSMTMTS Star Cried When She Heard “Rising” For The First Time

"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below."

The stage is set for another season of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series and fans can't get enough of their favorite Wildcats as they bring us another big show. Season 2 ended in July 2021, so we can't help but wonder all about season 3 and what's in store for our favorite characters. Just six weeks after the season 2 finale aired, Disney+ confirmed High School Musical: The Musical: The Series is heading back to the small screen in an announcement video on Twitter.

Season 3 will follow the Wildcats as they bid farewell to East High for summer fun at Camp Shallow Lake — the sleep-away camp in California where EJ and Nini first connected ahead of season 1. The latest season of the beloved series will be packed with "campfires, summer romances, and curfew-less nights" as our faves prep for the camp's summer production of Frozen. HSM:TM:TS traded their usual filming spot in Salt Lake City for sunny Los Angeles to accommodate the nature-friendly vibe of a summer camp. Plus, a new environment calls for a few new characters as well.

If you're itching to know everything there is to know about season 3 of HSM:TM:TS ahead of its premiere, look no further. Here are all the details on High School Musical: The Musical: The Series season 3, including snippets from series creator Tim Federle himself.

*Major spoilers for High School Musical: The Musical: The Series below!*

When does High School Musical: The Musical: The Series season 3 come out?

It's official — season 3 of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series was officially released to Disney+ on July 27, 2022! New episodes will be available to stream weekly on Wednesdays.

And, if this news couldn't get any better, Disney+ has already greenlit the beloved series for a fourth season, which means we'll get to see our fave Wildcats again!

What songs are on the High School Musical: The Musical: The Series season 3 soundtrack?

Music from Frozen, Camp Rock, and of course, High School Musical, will be featured in the new season. Julia Lester, who stars as Ashlynn, delivered a deeply emotional performance of "Rising" after learning that she was not cast as a lead in Frozen during episode three of HSMTMTS.

She recently dished to Vulture about the first time she heard the song and how emotional it made her. "I remember the first time I heard it was the day I went in to do a hair and makeup test before we even started filming the season," she reflected. "The show's creator, Tim Federle, pulled me into his office and said, 'I want you to hear this song you're going to be singing in a couple of episodes," she continued. "And, well, I'm a very emotional person, so I just started crying. There's this one line that says, 'Will my future self and I be friends?' It just broke me down."

Watch the performance below to see just how much Julia was moved.

In July 2022, Disney+ shared an exclusive sneak peek of what's to come in season 3. The wildcats and their fellow campers at Camp Shallow Lake embark on a friendly competition known as the color war, and naturally, they perform "It's On" from Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam all in good fun.

According to a Tweet by Disney Branded TV PR, the soundtrack for season 3 of HSM:TM:TS will hit music streamers on September 16, 2022 — a.k.a once all eight episodes have hit Disney+. It will also be available for purchase in physical CD format.

What will High School Musical: The Musical: The Series season 3 be about?

HSM:TM:TS creator Tim Federle exclusively tells Seventeen that his own experiences from growing up at summer camp have influenced the arc for season 3. "My first time at summer camp was so memorable. I learned so much about myself and who I loved and who I might grow up to be. When you write for young people, you're often revisiting painful, but also like beautiful nostalgic times in your life," Tim says before praising the show's writers' room, which is made up primarily of women. "It's really cool to see [writers' experiences] come forth on screen, but there's other stuff, too. Sofia [Wylie] asked for a certain kind of song this season that she gets in episode two, Josh [Bassett] writes new music for us this season. I mean, the cast brings their voice to the page as well."

In the first episode of season 3, Ricky sings about not looking back anymore and being free from "old relationships and old ideas about himself," according to Tim, who asked Joshua if he would want to take a swing at writing it. "He collaborated with some songwriters and producers and wrote this banger of a summer bop," Tim dishes.

Speaking of Joshua and Sofia, fans have taken to social media to rep their favorite ships of the season. While season 3 of HSM:TM:TS calls back to its roots in many ways, it seems that a love triangle may rise once again — this time, fans theorize it could be between Ricky, Gina, and EJ (would anyone care for some chocolates?). A fan on Twitter named Alicia notes that one of the "most powerful" moments of the series is the flashback scene between Ricky and Gina in season 2, which shows the audience how she bid farewell to him when she thought she was moving away. Of course, we asked Tim about his decision to include the season 1 scene in the show's second season — because why wouldn't we?

"Sofia's performance was so extraordinary in that goodbye scene. She thought she was saying goodbye because she thought she was moving away. I thought it would be a really interesting way to show that there's more that goes on behind the scenes than we're always able to show and that Gina is so multifaceted and has so many options," Tim tells Seventeen. "I wanted to show that performance and say to the audience, 'Every relationship may not pay off exactly the way you want it to in the moment,' but a lot of seeds have been planted that are gonna grow in the future." Tim remained tight-lipped about the Rina versus Portwell ship war and admitted that he tries not to lurk on fans' social media posts about the show. "The fans are allowed to have any reaction they want and it's their show once it leaves the Disney servers, but I really try not to lurk," Tim laughs. "I think in some ways, it's not my business... we put our heads down, try to tell the stories that we believe in, and we hope they resonate with audiences."

What Tim can dish, however, is how Gina has officially entered her main character era for the show's third season. "I think with Gina, as with so many people, old habits die hard and she has a chance to turn the page and start somewhere brand new after a rocky year at East High," Tim tells Seventeen. "She gets pulled into some old drama, but she also gets to have a really fun rom-com season that's a little softer and sweeter. She sings a lot and dances a lot, and she's got cute boys around her — it's a big season for her."

Is there a trailer for HSM:TM:TS season 3?

Yes! It's about to be the start of something new because, on June 29, Disney+ dropped the official trailer for HSM:TM:TS season 3. In the two-minute clip, the Wildcats have arrived at Camp Shallow Lake and we catch a sneak peek into the high-stakes audition process for the summer production of Frozen. The trailer also includes a couple of quick glimpses of Olivia Rodrigo as Nini, although it seems her character is not up at camp with the rest of the Wildcats.

Oh, but that's not all. There are a handful of surprise guest appearances this season, including Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family) AND JoJo Siwa. She gives us a "What's up Wildcats?!" in the trailer, and it's everything. Check out the full clip below and (if you haven't already) make sure to mark your calendars for July 27.

How about photos?

Heads up, wildcats — we officially have new pics from the upcoming season of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series! All of our faves Ricky, Gina, EJ, Kourtney, Ashlyn, Natalie, and Carlos are ready for an unforgettable summer at Camp Shallow Lake. Plus, there are two new faces in the HSM crew, played by Meg Donnelly and Adrian Lyles. We simply love to see it!

Will Olivia Rodrigo return?

Fans speculated whether Olivia, who plays Nini, would come back following her global success as a newly-minted pop star. On March 8, Entertainment Tonight reported that Olivia will step down from her lead role to a recurring role in season 3. On May 20, Deadline confirmed that Olivia will be appearing in season 3 as a guest star.

In an interview on The Zach Sang Show on December 22, 2021, Joshua Bassett, who plays Ricky, was asked if he was nervous to return to set for the upcoming season following his alleged drama with Olivia. "I am not, I'm very excited," the actor and singer-songwriter said. "I think we have a really, really awesome season lined up, and... it's gonna be, truly, a blast."

Who else will come back to the cast?

The main cast to return as series regulars for season 3 includes Joshua Bassett, Matt Cornett, Sofia Wylie, Julia Lester, Dara Reneé, and Frankie Rodriguez. Kate Reinders and Olivia Rose Keegan will also return as recurring cast members.

On January 18, 2022, it was announced that Disney Channel alums Corbin Bleu (an OG Wildcat who played Chad Danforth in the franchise) and Jason Earles (star of Hannah Montana) will be joining the cast for season 3. Corbin stars as a fictional version of himself, while Jason plays Dewey Wood, the "stone-faced, killjoy" Camp Shallow Lake director. This won't be Jason's first time on the HSMTMTS set, however — he joined the production for the show's first two seasons as the cast's acting coach and mentor.

Other cast members to join are Adrian Lyles, who plays the "mysterious" new kid Jet, and Saylor Bell, who appears as the brilliant "techie" at camp. Meg Donnelly — another Disney Channel star — plays Val, the amusing college-aged camp counselor and choreographer for the summer production.

"I think going to a new location, you want new faces, new dynamics, new challenges, new opportunities. I am just such a big believer in hiring authentically talented young people and letting them soar," series creator Tim Federle tells Seventeen. "Saylor [Bell] has a big arc this season as Maddie. Adrian gets to sing his face off later this season and he's such a star. What's hard at this point in the show is there are so many characters. I love how the audience loves the actors. I know that not everyone gets everything the way they wish it could be, and that part's challenging."

Entertainment Tonight also revealed three new guest stars set to appear in the upcoming season. Ben Stillwell, who previously starred in Teen Wolf and Murder in the First, will play Channing, a cameraman for the docuseries about the camp's production of Frozen. Aria Brooks from Disney's Better Nate Than Ever will play Alex, an eighth-grader, and camper at Camp Shallow Lake. Lastly, singer Liamani Segura will appear as Emmy, another eighth-grader and first-time camper.

Has High School Musical: The Musical: The Series season 3 finished filming?

It's a wrap! Season 3 started filming in January 2022 in Los Angeles, and on April 13, Matt Cornett (who plays EJ) and HSMTMTS showrunner Tim Federle confirmed that production has wrapped. Matt posted a shot of an ice cream truck (and one extremely good-looking ice cream sundae) on his Instagram Story, writing, "Best. Wrap food. Ever. Thank you @timfederle." The writer and director reposted Matt's story, penning, "Ice cream means it's over."

On May 14, 2022, Dara Reneé also posted a photo slideshow commemorating the Wildcats' last day on set. In it, there's a super cute video of the cast enjoying their time at Camp Shallow Lake, a.k.a the new setting for the show's third season. "Never too late to celebrate Shallow Lake!! That’s a wrap on Season 3!! So grateful to have worked with so MANY AMAZING TALENTED EXTRAORDINARY, BRILLIANT PEOPLE IN FRONT AND BEHIND THE CAMERA!!❤️," Dara wrote.

Yay! We are so much closer to seeing our fave Wildcats again.

Watch Seasons 1 and 2 Now

Disney+ subscriptions start at $7.99/month, or $13.99/month with the Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+ bundle.

You Might Also Like

• How to Master a Pretty Waterfall Braid

• 11 Waterproof Makeup Products You Have to Try

• How To Contour and Highlight Your Face Like A Total Pro