In the 2000s, Disney Channel propelled a lot of young talents into some of today’s biggest stars, including the Jonas Brothers, Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Selena Gomez, Raven Symoné, and Miley Cyrus. Recently, Disney+ rebooted High School Musical for this generation with a series starring Olivia Rodrigo and Joshua Bassett. And it has us wondering: could Hannah Montana return to young audiences with a reboot?
Jason Earles, who played Hannah Montana’s older brother Jackson for five years on Disney Channel, makes his return to Disney for the third season of High School Musical: The Musical – The Series, which will be streaming with a Disney+ subscription this week. As he returns to his roots to play camp counselor Dewey Wood, CinemaBlend asked the actor his thoughts on his own Disney Channel show getting similar treatment. In his words:
There’s so much love for the show, still, and there’s so many relevant things about it, like being a young person and trying to figure out your voice and who you are and what’s important to you. I think there’s a universe that exists where it could and should come back. And would I be interested? Yeah, I’d probably be interested.
Count Jason Earles in on more Hannah Montana! He’s not alone either. In 2020, Miliey Cyrus herself shared that she would like to “resurrect” her iconic Disney Channel pop star “at some point." Last year, the TV show surpassed its 15-year anniversary, which led the actress to pen a letter to her character, saying the character has her “utmost gratitude” and “love.”
As Jason Earles shared with us, the story of Hannah Montana still has a relevant message about figuring out who you are and finding your own voice against the noise of teenhood that could be rebooted into the present day. Could Disney Channel fans get the best of both worlds and receive a new Hannah Montana series someday?
If so, chances are Disney would find a new cast of young characters to embody the roles, with the possibility of actors like Jason Earles and Miley Cyrus making cameos or playing supporting roles. The High School Musical series created one of the biggest pop stars of today with Olivia Rodrigo and includes cameos of original cast, which will include Corbin Bleu this season, who is set to play himself.
High School Musical’s Season 3 will follow its cast of high schoolers as they spend a summer at a theater camp putting on a production of Frozen. The Disney+ series will continue beyond that as well, with a confirmed fourth season coming after this one. Perhaps more original High School Musical actors and other Disney Channel actors will return to their roots too? Zac Efron has already shared his hopes to return to the franchise. We’ll keep you updated here on CinemaBlend.
