The Jonas Brothers already confirmed that they are returning to Camp Rock earlier this summer. Since then, Nick, Joe and Kevin have been teasing the 15-years-in-the-making Camp Rock 3 movie off and on, so the only real question is this: will Mitchie Torres be packing up her duffel bag to join them?
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Though Demi Lovato — who played shy aspiring singing star Torres in the 2008 Disney Channel movie musical original and its 2010 sequel, Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam — is on board as a co-executive producer alongside the JoBros, so far only the siblings are confirmed to star in the movie. The Jonas’ will reprise their roles as the Gray brothers in the movie that began filming in Vancouver in September.
Don’t give up hope, though, since director Veronica Rodriguez told EW this week that, “You can’t really talk about Camp Rock or have a Camp Rock movie without referencing her. We love Mitchie.” That was as much as Rodriguez was willing to spill on the musical revival set to premiere on Disney+ and the Disney Channel next summer.
Mitchie was notably absent in the first teaser that dropped a few weeks ago. The clip opens with halcyon, soft-focus scenes of serene summer camp vistas, including the lake and the dining hall backed by soundbites from the first two films featuring Lovato’s voice and her duet with Joe’s Shane, “Wouldn’t Change a Thing,” as the shadows of the brothers cross the screen and the camera zooms in on Mitchie’s song notebook.
“Music, friendship, memories,” says Nick (Connect 3’s lead singer and Mitchie’s love interest in the original) as he and his brothers stare out at the lake. “We’re back… exactly where we’re supposed to be!,” says Joe, with Kevin adding some comic relief with the joke, “Still no birdhouse!” Camp Rock 3 will also feature performances from newbies Malachi Barton (Fletch), Liamani Segura (Sage), Lumi Pollack (Rosie), Hudson Stone (Desi) and Casey Trotter (Cliff). While the JoBros will reprise their roles as members of fictional boy band Connect 3, Maria Canals-Barrera will be back as Connie Torres, Mitchie’s mother.
Rodriguez would not confirm or deny theories about Lovato’s possible cameo, but she teased that “Camp Rock 3 is a continuation of the story we know and love,” with the new movie picking up 15 years after the action in the sequel, when Connect 3 are bigger than ever. “That is the question,” Rodriguez told EW with a smile. “I can’t spoil anything. What I will say is that people should be excited to see some OG characters. You should feel all of those nostalgic vibes. We tried to put in as many things as we can into this movie, some iconic set pieces, the Jonas Brothers as Connect 3, and even Connie [Maria Canals-Barrera], Mitchie’s mom, has a bigger role in this movie. So Mitchie is very much a character in this movie, in this world, and we should feel her, for sure, because she’s iconic and beloved and is a part of the Camp Rock legacy.”
Lovato joined the JoBros at the MetLife Stadium stop of their 20th anniversary tour in August, where they performed the Camp Rock favorites “Wouldn’t Change a Thing” and “This Is Me.”
Rodriguez clarified that Lovato had signed on as an executive producer before she joined the project that wrapped filming on Nov. 1, so she was not privy to any early discussions about Lovato returning to star alongside Joe. “But it was really amazing to have her as an executive producer, and she was involved with the script,” Rodriguez said. “She was just really ensuring that this movie gives our audience all the Camp Rock amazingness that she was part of back in Camp Rock 1 and 2. And so she was a fantastic partner in making this as good as it can be.”
According to a description of the threequel, it kicks off when Connect 3 lose their opening act for a major reunion tour, prompting the brothers to return to the camp in search of a new star as the campers compete for a spot on the tour. Rodriguez promised that the JoBros are in the film a “good amount,” and that it will also introduce a new generation of Camp Rockers, referring to newbies Segura, Barton, Pollack, Stone and Trotter as having a “bit of a Breakfast Club vibe,” while tagging Segura as “our new Mitchie.”
Rodriguez also teased that the movie will feature new music from the JoBros as Connect 3, with rock songs, but also ventures into unexpected genres including Americana pop country, a Bruno Mars-style pop tune, girl power rock and uptempo dance songs.
