The magic from Disney Channel‘s hit TV show Wizards of Waverly Place could return to the small screen as part of a newly ordered sequel.
The project, which was confirmed by Variety and Deadline on Thursday, will see former co-stars Selena Gomez and David Henrie reunite to produce the show.
Henrie, 34, will star in the sequel and reprise his role as Justin Russo, the brotherly counterpart to Gomez’s Alex Russo. Gomez, 31, is listed as an executive producer and will make a guest appearance as Alex in the already ordered pilot episode.
Gomez confirmed on Instagram that she would be working on the sequel shortly after the news broke on Thursday. She shared a photo of her and Henrie on the Wizards of Waverly Place set with the caption, “We’re back.”
Selena Gomez’s Instagram story on Jan. 18, 2024.
Instagram @selenagomez
Henrie also confirmed the news on Instagram and shared a photo of the first page of the untitled pilot script.
“The Russo’s are excited to become a part of your family, once again, but we’ve grown” he wrote. “2024, the year magic comes back!”
The cast for the pilot already includes Janice LeAnn Brown, Alkaio Thiele and Mimi Gianopulos.
According to the series’ official description, the sequel will follow an adult Justin Russo who has given up his magical wizarding powers to live a normal, human life with his wife (Gianopulos) and two sons (one of whom will be played by Thiele).
“He gets a surprise when a powerful young wizard (Brown) in need of training shows up at his door,” the description continued. “Justin must embrace his past to ensure the future of the Wizard World.”
The pilot has been written by Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas, who are also credited as executive producers. Elinoff and Thomas together earlier created the Disney Channel spinoff of That’s So Raven, called Raven’s Home.
Andy Fickman will direct the pilot, as well as executive produce the series alongside Gomez, Henrie, Elinoff, Thomas and Gary Marsh.
Wizards of Waverly Place is much beloved to a generation who grew up watching Gomez’s antics across the show’s four seasons and a 2009 made-for-TV movie. The series ran from 2007 to 2012, aging alongside its audience as the three Russo siblings navigated quirky problems of both the magical and non-magical varieties.
Understandably, after many years of swirling rumours surrounding a reboot, the show’s fans are already excited over the news of the pilot — though many claimed they did not want the series if it did not star Gomez herself.
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Sarah Do Couto
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