When David Henrie and Selena Gomez sat down to develop a sequel for Disney Channel fantasy sitcom Wizards of Waverly Place, they knew they had a challenge ahead of them. Henrie and Gomez played overachiever Justin and snarky slacker Alex, respectively, during the show’s original run, when the characters were teenagers. This time around, though, the actors are also behind the camera as executive producers.
“We wanted the same spirit, the same heart, the same humor that was in the original show for a whole new generation, while still respecting the old,” Henrie told Polygon at a press day ahead of the release of Wizards Beyond Waverly Place, the sequel series coming to Disney Channel and Disney Plus.
Wizards of Waverly Place was much beloved in its original run from 2007 to 2012, with the final episode still holding the title of the most-watched Disney Channel series finale of all time. The original show followed a family of young wizards training in their magic while keeping their double lives a secret from their regular mortal friends. The series has a special place in the hearts of fans who grew up with it: Along with Phineas and Ferb, which premiered the same year, it’s one of the few Disney Channel shows that really bridges the gap between late millennials and Gen Z.
“I have two little sisters, and I watched with them. It was so fun, because it was something that we could all enjoy,” said Mimi Gianopulos, who plays Justin’s wife, Giada, in Wizards Beyond Waverly Place. “We have a pretty big age gap, [but] it was definitely something that we enjoyed watching together, so it’s nostalgic for me, too.”
In the new show, the original characters are now adults, and the focus is on Justin and his family. He lives an ordinary life as a middle school assistant principal in Staten Island with his wife and kids: dutiful eldest Roman (Alkaio Thiele) and mischievous younger son Milo (Max Matenko). When the first show ended, Justin was named the headmaster of of WizTech, the in-universe wizard school, which definitely had a lot of tongue-in-cheek Harry Potter references. But between the two shows, he retired from being headmaster after an unspecified incident, and closed the door on his magical side.
“That’s a very fun place to be as a development executive and as a producer on the show,” Henrie says. “We tease that out throughout the whole first season: What happened? Something big happened. Why? And what effect does that have on Justin now?”
Justin’s wife and kids have absolutely no idea that he and his family are wizards — until his sister Alex shows up at his doorstep with Billie (Janice LeAnn Brown), a wayward tween wizard who needs some guidance. Henrie says it was Billie’s character who really made the show click together and blend what we know about the Russos and their approach to family with a new perspective on the world and the magic within it.
“Billie has never had a family before,” explains Henrie. “Her understanding of family is totally the opposite of the Russos’. She doesn’t trust them. She has to learn to trust them. She doesn’t trust authority figures. She’s been rejected a lot in her life. So her character really is a wonderful avenue to explore these themes that were really important to the original show. She really did unlock, I think, a wonderful engine that will last many seasons.”
Billie kicks off a new stage for Justin and his family, and he confronts the magical side of himself that he left behind. His wife and kids, meanwhile, get to discover this magical world that they never knew existed, with all the hijinks and shenanigans that come with it. The magical exploits are pretty similar to the original series, with summoned creatures and spells gone awry, but as Gianopulos adds, “I always joke that visual effects have come a long way in the last couple of years, so we can do some really fun things that they weren’t able to do on the original.”
Special effects aside, Henrie and the rest of the creative team really want the show to feel similar to the original in terms of the core themes, especially the messages about family. Part of that for Henrie was recapturing his character more than a decade later.
“It was really easy for me, honestly,” Henrie says. “Because I’m a dad now. I’m married, I have three kids, and I pretty much am Justin Russo off camera. So it kind of was a simple switch for me. I care about rules and hard work and doing things well and discipline. And also, he pretty much dresses just like me.”
Wizards Beyond Waverly Place premieres with two episodes on Oct. 29 at 8 p.m. EDT on Disney Channel. The first eight episodes will be available on Disney Plus on Oct. 30.