WASHINGTON: Actors Selena Gomez and David Henrie are returning to the sequel of the popular comedy 'Wizards of Waverly Place', reported People. The makers announced the pair, who starred as siblings in the original Disney Channel series, are reuniting for the sequel.
Gomez, 31, will reprise her character, Alex Russo, as a guest star in the pilot while Henrie, 34, will play Justin Russo as a series regular.
The sequel will chronicle the aftermath of "a mysterious incident at WizTech, where an adult Justin Russo has left his wizard powers behind, opting for a normal, human life with his wife and two sons. But 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," according to an official synopsis. Janice LeAnn Brown will play Billie, a powerful young wizard in need of instruction, in the new Disney Channel series.
Alkaio Thiele will play Justin's oldest kid, Roman, with Mimi Gianopulos portraying Justin's wife Giada. Disney Channel teased the news on Instagram, sharing a snapshot of the pilot script with a wand from the series.
"Waverly Place," the caption read.
Henrie responded in the comment section, writing, "Get ready for the Russo's to become a part of your family once again, but we've grown! 2024, the year comes back ;)" Gomez also reacted to the news on social media, reposting the Deadline story, writing that she was "so excited" alongside a heart emoji. She then shared a throwback photo of her and Henrie from the Wizards of Waverly Place set with the caption, "We're back."
Gomez and Henrie will also serve as executive producers for the series, which already served a pilot order from Disney Branded Television, Deadline reports. David Deluise, who played Henrie and Gomez's onscreen dad, commented on Henrie's post announcing the new show, "Reboot ?" The comment sparked concern among fans who worried he wasn't involved in the project.
Henrie soon addressed those worries, however, in response to a fan's comment, "We definitely plan on bringing back the original cast for the series order." Gomez and Henrie starred on Wizards of Waverly Place alongside Jake T. Austin as three wizard siblings whose parents own a sandwich shop in New York City. The Disney Channel show premiered in 2007 and lasted four seasons, later spawning Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie in 2009 and the standalone special, 'The Wizards Return: Alex vs. Alex', in 2013, reported People.