Magic is officially in the making at Disney’s studios, as the entertainment company has announced its decision to move forward with Selena Gomez and David Henrie’s Wizards of Waverly Place reboot proposal two months after placing the initial pilot order.
The Rare Beauty founder confirmed the news on Instagram Stories on Friday (March 22), sharing a sneak-peek photo of her and Henrie on the new set. “Guess what?!” she wrote. “WE GOT PICKED UP FOR SEASON 1!”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, production will begin next month in Los Angeles, and the show will premiere at some point this year on both Disney+ and Disney Channel. Gomez and Henrie, who played magical siblings Alex and Justin Russo on the original Wizards, will reprise their rolls and serve as executive producers on the reboot.
Though the “Love On” singer is confirmed to make an appearance in the first episode, it sounds as though Henrie’s character will lead the majority of the show as Dad to sons Milo, played by Max Matenko, and Roman, portrayed by Alkaio Thiele. More than a decade after the original Wizards wrapped in 2012, Justin Russo is also a married man; his wife, Giada, will be brought to life by Mimi Gianopulos.
Also part of the cast is Janice LeAnn Brown, who will play a powerful young wizard named Billie. When Alex brings Billie to meet Justin, he must re-immerse himself in the magical world he left behind in pursuit of a normal family life to mentor her.
Along with Gomez and Henrie, former Disney Branded Television head Gary Marsh and director Andy Fickman are on board to produce, as are the pilot’s writers, Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas. The project marks the latest in a series of nostalgia-backed children’s show reboots, following Nickelodeon’s iCarly, Zoey 101 and the now-scrapped Lizzy McGuire update.
Gomez first announced that she was making her grand return to Disney in January, when the Wizards reboot was first given the go-ahead to shoot a pilot. “So excited!!” she wrote on Instagram Stories at the time. “WE’RE BACK.”
See the first look photo at the new Wizards of Waverly Place below.
