Truly everything is not what it seems because the story of the wizarding Russos is not over.
BuzzFeed can confirm a Wizards of Waverly Place pilot is in the works at Disney Channel. Deadline first reported on the announcement.
Better yet, stars of the original series Selena Gomez and David Henrie are part of the new project.
Disney Channel has ordered a pilot starring David as his character from the original series, Justin Russo. David and Selena are among the executive producers, and Selena is expected to guest star in the pilot.
The original show ran from 2007 to 2012, and it starred Selena as Alex Russo, with David and Jake T. Austin playing her older and younger brothers Justin and Max Russo.
The series followed the Russo siblings growing up in New York and getting a handle on their magical abilities.
In addition to the original series, the Wizards franchise includes a Disney Channel movie Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie that aired in 2009 while the show was airing. A TV special The Wizards Return: Alex vs. Alex also aired in 2013 after the series ended.
Three additional stars of the pilot were also announced: Janice LeAnn Brown as Billie, a "powerful young wizard" trained by Justin; Mimi Gianopulos as Justin's wife Giada; and Alkaio Thiele as Justin's eldest son Roman.
According to a press release, "The pilot picks up after a mysterious incident at WizTech, where an adult Justin Russo (Henrie) 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."
The Wizards of Waverly Place sequel pilot is just the latest Disney Channel follow-up to a classic hit show. Since 2017, Raven-Symoné has starred in Raven's Home, which continued the story of her character Raven Baxter who first appeared in the 2000s series That's So Raven.
In fact, the new Waverly pilot was written by Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas, who are also among its executive producers. They previously developed Raven's Home.
