Worried that your Glee faves are all going to be forced to graduate early from the show by the new kids from The Glee Project?
Glee boss Ryan Murphy just talked to our own Ryan Seacrest about the seasons to come and addressed the speculation that the original cast would soon be replaced.
Turns out, the idea that some of our favorite New Directions are going bye-bye is...
So false!
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According to Murphy, "I think there are a couple of rumors out floating around that half the cast is going to be replaced by the winner of The Glee Project, which is not true. The Glee Project, there is one winner and that person is joining the cast...This year I think we'll probably have a couple people who come in now and again in January."
In case you're not familiar with Oxygen's Glee Project reality show, Murphy lays it out: "The winner of the show gets a seven-episode arc this fall on Glee. They also get a recording contract, they get to be a part of the tour that will happen next year. So it's sort of a great opportunity for somebody to step into the spotlight and shine, which was the goal of the show all along anyway."
But what about the much-discussed graduation-of-current-regulars? Who's leaving and why?
Murphy tells Seacrest: "I don't think of it in terms of eliminating or replacing, I don't like that word because I think the thing about this cast is people love them, they're incredibly talented. They've left an indelible mark I think...[but] we didn't want to have a show where they were in high school for eight years. We really wanted to be true to that experience so we all looked at each other and decided...yeah, it would be really cool if we were true to the timeline so when we started out they were sophomores, last year which we just finished they were juniors, and this next year will be their senior year. And then that group of kids will graduate.
"I think every year what's really fun about the show is a new class comes in."
So, to summarize, there will be new kids, but they won't be replacing the old kids, just joining the party!
As for the season-three party, Murphy says, "We start shooting the third season mid-August. And it will be back on the air the second or third week of September."
We can't wait!
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