The magic of the 2000s is coming back to Disney Channel. A sequel of Wizards of Waverly Place is in the works, with two original cast members already confirmed to be returning.
David Henrie is returning to lead the series as Justin Russo, the eldest sibling, and Selena Gomez will make a guest appearance as Alex Russo, his younger sister. The two will also be executive producers of the series.
Janice LeAnn Brown (Black-ish) will also lead the show as Billie, a powerful young wizard who turns to Justin Russo for training. This forces him to return to the world of magic he left behind. Alkaio Thiele (Call Me Kat) and Mimi Gianopulos (American Princess) will play his wife and eldest son, Roman and Giada Russo.
What is ‘Wizards of Waverly Place’?
The original show ran from 2007-2012 and followed the lives of the Russo siblings, who learn about their magical heritage as they also navigate being teenagers in New York City. It ended with Justin Russo winning the competition between him and his siblings to keep his powers, as were the rules of their magical world.
What do we know about the new series?
According to Deadline, the series will begin with the fallout from an incident at the wizarding school WizTech, where Justin is a teacher and is forced to give up his powers until Billie shows up in need of training.
This is the second popular Disney Channel series from the 2000s to be rebooted and given a sequel. Raven’s Home, a spinoff of That’s So Raven, premiered in 2017 and is still running today on Disney Channel. The creative team behind Raven’s Home will also produce the Waverly Place reboot.
Original cast members Jennifer Stone (Harper Finkle) and David DeLuise (Jerry Russo) have been hosting the podcast Wizards of Waverly Pod since January 2023. They have revisited episodes, interviewed cast members, including Selena Gomez, and reflected on the impact the show had on their own lives and in pop culture.
The show is responsible for the launch of Selena Gomez’s career. She has gone on to launch her own beauty company, Rare Beauty, release multiple albums, and star and produce in the award-winning show Only Murders in the Building alongside Steve Martin and Martin Short.
Neither Stone nor DeLuise have been announced as joining the reboot, and DeLuise seems to have been none the wiser about the news. He commented on David Henrie’s announcement post “Reboot?”. Jake T Austin (Max Russo) or Maria Canals-Barrera (Theresa Russo) do not appear to be returning either.
