Selena Gomez is going back to her Disney Channel roots in the most magical way — with a Wizards of Waverly Place reboot.
The actor and singer recently appeared in new promo photos for the sequel series alongside co-star David Henrie in the official announcement that the show — simply called Wizards — would be coming to Disney Channel and Disney+ this fall. The post included a split-screen of Gomez and Henrie, who play the Russo siblings, from the former Wizards of Waverly Place show, along with a picture of them now as adults in the reboot. In both pictures, Gomez is leaning her head on Henrie’s shoulder.
After Disney Channel and Henrie shared the joint post, Gomez commented excitedly, “WE ARE BACK!! SOOOO GRATEFUL. MAGIC.”
She also reshared the photo and announced that the show got “picked up for a season 1.”
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According to Deadline, the new series is officially set to begin filming in April, with Gomez and Henrie reprising their roles but also serving as executive producers. The new version will follow as Justin Russo, played by David Henrie, attempts to lead a normal life as a husband and dad without using magic, until his sister Alex Russo, played by Selena Gomez, brings young Billie for wizard training. Billie will be played by Janice LeAnn Brown, who starred as a young Rue in Euphoria, among other things.
On February 23, Gomez appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and shared new details about the sequel series — which, make no mistake, is not a reboot, according to the singer.
“It’s gonna be really fun. I was excited to bring the characters back,” Gomez told the late-night host. “It’s not a reboot. It’s gonna be a different version, I guess, so I’m excited for you guys to see it.”
The original series was popular on Disney Channel, running from 2007 to 2012, along with a feature-length movie in 2009. The show, and her time with Disney, helped launch Gomez into superstardom.
In January, Henrie shared a photo of a script for the reboot and later posted a photo with Gomez, David DeLuise, who plays dad Jerry Russo, and Maria Canals-Barrera, who plays mom Theresa Russo. he captioned the photo, “The Russos… coming back.”
