Selena Gomez has confirmed she and her original “Wizards of Waverly Place” co-star David Henrie in the pilot of the show’s upcoming sequel.
In addition to them appearing in the project, the duo, who played siblings on the show, are executive producers.
Selena Gomez & David Henrie Reunite For ‘Wizards Of Waverly Place’ Sequel
Disney Branded Television greenlit a pilot for a sequel to the iconic sitcom “Wizards of Waverly Place.”
Instagram Stories | Selena Gomez
Gomez is set to make a guest appearance in the pilot, reprising her role as Alex Russo, the character that played a pivotal role in launching her career. Meanwhile, Henrie will return as Justin Russo, this time as a series regular.
The former “Barney & Friends” actress thrilled her 429 million followers with the update through social media, posting a screenshot of a news page containing the details of the deal.
Across the image, she exclaimed, “So excited,” alongside a red heart emoji. Gomez followed the upload with a second, opting to share a throwback picture of her and her on-screen brother sitting on a couch this time.
In the photo, Henrie has his eyes on the singer-songwriter, who is seen in the middle of what appears to be an animated conversation. “We’re back,” she wrote slightly above the Instagram Story pic.
Spilling the tea on the project, Deadline reported that writers and executive producers Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas, known for their work on another Disney Channel comedy spinoff, “Raven’s Home,” created the revival plot. The storyline picks up after a mysterious incident at WizTech, where an adult Justin chooses a non-magical life with his wife and two sons, leaving his wizard powers behind.
However, he faces a surprise when a powerful young wizard seeking training arrives at his door, compelling Justin to reconcile with his magical past to secure the future of the Wizard World. Joining the sequel’s cast are new members Janice LeAnn Brown [known for Disney’s “Just Roll with It”], Alkaio Thiele [from “Call Me Kat”], and Mimi Gianopulos [recognized for her role in “American Princess”].
The role of the powerful young wizard Billie, taken under Justin’s wing, will be portrayed by series lead Brown. Thiele is set to play Roman Russo, Justin’s oldest son, while Gianopulos will portray Justin’s wife, Giada.
Instagram Stories | Selena Gomez
Henrie previously talked about the bond the original cast of “Wizards of Waverly Place” shared, claiming, “We’ve all kind of kept in touch. Yearly or multiple times a year, we all kind of text or say hi to one another.”
He then emphasized that he and Gomez remained the”closest to each other,” adding that they “definitely [still] talk a lot.” Speaking exclusively to The Blast, the 34-year-old gushed, “She’s Auntie Selena to my kids, so she and I are the closest, we’ve kept that sibling relationship.”
That affection between them made it easy for Henrie to confess that appearing on a reboot of the hit Disney series “would be so fun.” He further reflected:
“We were a family on and off camera so it was almost too much fun and I think people felt that chemistry when watching the show too, so absolutely I would love to do a reboot. I think it’s just about the idea and the when and how and all of that.”
The Sitcom’s Creator Wanted Alex To Be In A Gay Relationship With THIS On-Screen Pal
In a March appearance on the “Wizards of Waverly” podcast, Peter Murrieta, the creator of the Disney sitcom, revealed his original plan for the relationship between Gomez’s Alex character and Stevie [played by Hayley Kiyoko].
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Murrieta expressed that, if the series were released in present times and Disney Channel allowed it, he would have liked to see their relationship portrayed as a gay romance.
In his words, “I wished we could have played more with what was quite obvious to a lot of us. We weren’t able to at that time, but it was pretty clear to all of us what that relationship was.”
He disclosed that the show could not depict the gay relationship between Alex and Stevie due to Disney’s conservative stance at the time. Murrieta acknowledged that Disney Channel has included LGBTQ characters since then, and although they got as close as possible at that time, he expressed it would have been great to fully explore the gay relationship between them.