Disney is producing the pilot for a reboot of Wizards Of Waverly Place which will centre around original series star David Henrie, Selena Gomez will produce and guest star.
Wizards Of Waverly Place was among a speit of Disney shows, like Hannah Montana and Sonny With A Chance, that catapulted their female lead to superstardom.
Selena Gomez became a pop star alongside her Disney career, then transitioned into equally popular roles as an adult – Only Murders In The Building, in which she stars alongside Steve Martin and Martin Short, has been renewed for a fourth series.
Created by Todd J Greenwald, Wizards followed Gomez as Alex Russo, the middle child in a family that also included older brother Justin, played by David Henrie, and Max, played by Jake T. Austin. David DeLuise and Maria Canals-Baria played parents Jerry and Theresa. The overarching plot saw the children compete between themselves in a competition to determine which of them would keep their powers.
The show ran from 2007 to 2012, including Wizards Of Waverly Place: The Movie, a television film broadcast in 2009. The hour long series finale, Wizards Return: Alex vs. Alex aired in 2013.
According to Deadline, Disney is now pressing ahead with a reboot, with a pilot in production. A decision will then be made on a full series order.
The synopsis for the new show reads as follows:
Picking up after a mysterious incident at WizTech School, 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.
Henrie will reprise his role as Justin, with Gomez guest starring as Alex. New cast members include Janice LeAnn Brown as young wizard Billie, Alkaio Thiele as Justin’s oldest son Roman, and Mimi Gianopulos as Justin’s wife Giada.
Showrunning the new series are writers and executive producers Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas, who are also behind another Disney Channel comedy spinoff, Raven’s Home.
Former Wizards stars DeLuise and Jennifer Stone, who played Alex’s best friend Harper, currently host weekly podcast Wizards Of Waverly Pod, where they discuss episodes, tell anecdotes and interview guests, including Gomez on one episode. You can watch the podcast on YouTube.
We’ll keep you updated as we hear more.
