All young witches and sorcerers have to grow up eventually. Not all of them get to continue being on television when they do, though. Fortunately for Disney Channel fans some beloved magic users will soon get that chance. The Mouse House has ordered a pilot for a sequel to Wizards of Waverly Place. It will focus on original star David Henrie, but don’t worry, Selena Gomez will also be back for a magical reunion. This sequel will be called Wizards Beyond Waverly Place.
Deadline was the first to report Disney Branded Television is returning to an old fan favorite. Gomez and Henrie are executive producing this sequel to their teen comedy series Wizards of Waverly Place. The show will see Henrie reprising his role as Justin Russo. The series will follow an adult Justin who gave up his magical powers so he could lead a regular life with his wife and two sons. But everything changes for him when “he gets a surprise when a powerful young wizard in need of training shows up at his door… and Justin must embrace his past to ensure the future of the Wizard World.” We now have our first look at the series as well.
Gomez will also make a guest appearance in the The Wizards of Waverly Place sequel pilot as Justin’s sister Alex. The show will also feature a number of newcomers to the franchise. Janice LeAnn Brown (Disney’s Just Roll with It) will play the powerful young wizard Billie who seeks out Justin’s help. Alkaio Thiele (Call Me Kat) will star as Roman Russo, Justin’s oldest child. And Mimi Gianopulos (American Princess) will play Justin’s wife Giada.
Disney Channel veterans Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas (Raven’s Home) will serve as both writers and producers. Andy Fickman (Race to Witch Mountain) will direct and also executive produce the Wizards of Waverly Place sequel.
The original Wizards of Waverly Place series, which also starred Jake T. Austin as the third Russo sibling Max, ran for four seasons and 106 episodes from 2007 until 2012. That’s a long layover between shows. Plenty of time for teen wizards to grow up. But that doesn’t mean Waverly Place won’t still be a magical place to visit in a sequel.
Originally published January 18, 2024.
