The Hollywood Reporter posted a longer version of the magazine’s recent Q&A with Glee creator, Ryan Murphy. In the short version, we learned that popular Glee stars, Lea Michele, Chris Colfer and Cory Monteith will not be returning to Glee after their characters graduate from high school at the end of Season 3.
In the longer version, Ryan expands on what we can expect from Glee in Season 3 and beyond, addresses those spinoff rumors, and clears up the <strong>Chord Overstreet</strong> brouhaha and more. Plus he talks a little about the Oxygen competition reality show, <em>The Glee Project</em>.
Here’s a bulleted summary of the interview (Read the entire Q&A HERE.)
- As far as talk of a Glee spin-off with Lea Michele, Cory Monteith or Chris Colfer’s character, a source close to the production tells THR there are no plans.
- Ryan Murphy will only name Chris Colfer, Lea Michele and Cory Monteith as the gleekster’s who will graduate and move on at the end of Season 3. The rest of the graduates will be revealed on the September 20 premiere. He says, “More are leaving than are staying.” But, “A lot of times it’s people you don’t expect are leaving are leaving and there’s a lot of surprises about people who are staying.”
- On the Chord Overstreet brouhaha? He wasn’t picked up as a series regular, but the writers ARE crafting stories for him, “I thought that was such a strange story. Every year there are options that are either extended or picked up or not picked up. I’ve never seen such a huge amount of stories about somebody’s option not being picked up – particularly when they were always, in my mind, coming back to the show.”
- Chord will be on as many episodes as the other kids. In other words? The 4th of July weekend panic? Much ado about NOTHING. TV Line. Tsk.
- Characters who were in the background Season 2 will come to the fore in the new season, “We’re doing some great Harry Shum Jr./Jenna Ushkowitz (Tina/Mike) story, we’re doing a great Santana (Naya Rivera) story, we’re doing a great Brittany (Heather Morris) story and a great Mercedes (Amber Riley) story. Those are the people who didn’t get big multi-arc stories – maybe Heather and Naya toward the end – but all of them are getting big ones.”
- We’ll meet some of the parents this year as the kids prepare to graduate and go off to college. Ryan hasn’t decided whether to introduce Rachel’s two gay dads. He thinks it’s funnier if we never see them.
- There won’t be any more new characters this season other than The Glee Project winner, because “we have so many great stories that we’re working on.” Ryan hints at a cameo or two for some of the Glee Project contestants, however. Ryan says, “We’re writing a lot of kids’ stories and I’m thinking, ‘You know who would be good for those two lines is McKynleigh, who got kicked off might be good for something like that.'”
- Ryan would like to see The Glee Project get picked up for another season. The Oxygen reality show has been steadily climbing in the ratings each week. “I don’t have a deal to do it but I like it because not only do people love the show but I think it’s a great training ground for people to come on Glee. We found a great character.”
I don’t know…I’m not completely convinced there won’t be a spinoff. They might not be ready to talk about it yet. Of course, Lea, Chris and Corey may be ready to move on to other projects. Lea’s got a couple of movies coming out. She appears on the big screen in Garry Marshall’s New Year’s Eve, which opens Dec. 9, and she voices the title role in the animated movie Dorothy of Oz. Cory’s new movie, Monte Carlo, is on screens now and again in January with Sisters & Brothers. But Chris, in particular, has a freakish amount of crazy projects in the works that include producing, writing and starring in his own movie, developing TV pilots and book writing. More Glee could get in the way of his burgeoning career.
