Disney Channel’sWizard of Waverly Placeis getting a sequel, according to a new report by Deadline. Disney Branded Television has ordered a pilot for the revival, which Selena Gomez and David Henrie will executive produce and appear.
Per the report, the continuation of the story will meet an adult Justin Russo, who has left his wizard powers behind to live a normal life with his wife and two sons. However, he will get a surprise when a powerful young wizard shows up at his door, and he must embrace his past to ensure a future of the Wizard World.
Henrie will reprise his role as Justin, while Gomez will guest star as Alex and she is set to appear in the pilot. The new characters will be portrayed by Janice LeAnn Brown (Disney’s Just Roll with It), Alkaio Thiele (Call Me Kat) and Mimi Gianopulos (American Princess).
Who is behind the pilot?
As we said earlier, Gomez and Henrie are both executive producing alongside Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas. The duo is behind “Raven’s Home,” another sequel reboot on Disney, and they will also write the script. Meanwhile, Andy Fickman will direct.
The initial run of “Wizards of Waverly Place” marked a peak in Disney Channel’s popularity, spanning four seasons from 2007 to 2012. Simultaneously, Disney crafted the movie “Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie.”
Does this mean that it will be a whole new series?
Often, a pilot could be picked up for a whole season or air as a TV special. A pilot episode is used as a test to determine if a series will be successful or not. While Disney has been reviving some shows with success, such as Raven’s Home, others, such as the Lizzie McGuire’s reboot wasn’t greenlit even after filming two episodes.
What other projects does Selena Gomez have right now?
Gomez has been busy as an actor, musician, producer and, of course, CEO of her beauty and makeup company, Rare Beauty. On TV, she has been starring in the successful comedy “Only Murders in the Building” (Hulu), for which she recently received two Emmy nominations as a producer. She is also set to star as Linda Ronstad in the upcoming biopic directed by David O. Russell.
