It’s been more than 12 years since “Wizards of Waverly Place” ended in 2012 after four seasons, but reuniting for the spinoff, “Wizards Beyond Waverly Place,” it was if no time had passed for stars Selena Gomez and David Henrie.
“It felt like I was home again,” Gomez told me Thursday at the “Only Murders in the Building” Season 4 premiere in Hollywood. “I’m so happy I got to bring back this childhood gift that I was given to new little ones out there.”
When the original “Wizards” came to a close, Gomez never thought she’d play Alex Russo again. But now she’s hoping the spinoff will be a multi-season run. “We don’t know, but if people like it, we’ll see,” she said.
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David Henrie, who reprises his role as Alex’s brother Justin, told me, “Selena and I and my wife spent so much time over the years drinking wine and talking about where the characters would be, we looked at each other at one point and said, ‘I think we have a show. I think we should go talk to Disney about this.’ And we did. It took years of development to get it exactly where it needed to be.
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“It came out of a place love,” he continued. “The number one thing Selena gets asked about even till today is ‘Wizards.’ It’s a show that meant a lot to a lot of people.”
Gomez announced the spinoff during Disney’s 2024 upfront presentation in May. Images from the show were released at the same time showing grown-up versions of Alex and Justin along with new Russo family members.
“It was bonkers,” Henrie said of working with Gomez again. “It was unspoken but we were behind a door and heard, ‘Action,’ we looked at one another and were like, ‘This is crazy.’ It was like a day hadn’t passed in 12 years. We were right back to where we were.”
“Wizards: Beyond Waverly Place” follows an adult Justin, who has chosen to lead a normal, mortal life with his family, Giada (Mimi Gianopulos), Roman (Alkaio Thiele) and Milo (Max Matenko). When Alex brings Billie (Janice LeAnn Brown) to his home seeking help, Justin agrees to mentor the wizard-in-training while also juggling his everyday responsibilities and safeguarding the future of the Wizard World.
Henrie is also looking forward to the potential of more seasons: “It’s such a fertile universe. You could do so much.”
Henrie is using his original wand in the spinoff. When the show ended in 2012, producers gave the wands framed in glass as wrap presents to the cast. “I was like, I am gonna break this sucker out again,” Henrie said.
