Fans crying out for a new Wizards of Waverly Place season are getting their wish.
News broke this week that Disney Branded Television has picked up a pilot for a sequel of the beloved Disney Channel original.
While reboots are all the rage nowadays, this new take won’t forget what happened on the original 2007-12 hit.
This updated series will be executive-produced by original stars Selena Gomez and David Henrie.
On an exciting note, Gomez is also set to appear as a guest star in the pilot, returning to the iconic role of Alex Russo to help kickstart this new chapter.
Gomez’s involvement on-screen beyond that has not been revealed, but it’s hard to imagine her not popping in here and there because she’s the person fans will likely be tuning in for.
Gomez is too busy to be a series regular
But the actress and singer has a stacked schedule, so it makes sense that she’s only committed to appearing in one episode for now.
Production of Only Murders in the Building Season 4 must be underway soon, and we’re sure she has plenty of other projects in the works.
Gomez likes to keep busy, as evidenced by her impressive career.
Henrie, who played her on-screen brother Justin Russo, will appear as a series regular, meaning he’ll be sticking around for the long haul on a show mainly featuring new faces.
There will be plenty of new cast members
Deadline reports that the new cast members are Janice LeAnn Brown (Disney’s Just Roll with It), Alkaio Thiele (Call Me Kat), and Mimi Gianopulos (American Princess).
Disney has had a good track record with bringing former hits back to the air, and the Wizards of Waverly Place sequel will be brought to the screen by Raven’s Home writers and executive producers Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas.
We think it’s fair to say that the duo is well-versed in bringing former universes back to life with a fresh spin, and we can’t wait to see what they bring to the table here.
The pilot picks up with Justin Russo leading a normal, human life with his wife and two sons, but that comes crashing down when a young wizard in need of training shows up at his door.
As a result, he’s thrust back into that world because he promises to ensure the future of the Wizard World.
It sounds like a decent way to bring the series back and forge ahead with some new wizards, but we’ll reserve further judgment until it hits the air.
At this stage, only a pilot has been ordered, but given the global recognition of this franchise, the chances of it not getting the green light are slim.
Hopefully, it isn’t another Lizzie McGuire
Then again, look at what happened to the long-gestating Lizzie McGuire follow-up.
The series was set to follow the titular heroine in her 30s in New York City. Disney execs reportedly balked at the show going in a more adult direction and shuttered the show after two episodes were completed.
Ultimately, it never saw the light of day and will go down as one of the biggest misses in recent memory.
Fans were excited about checking in with an older Lizzie, but there were concerns about making the sequel to a show geared at a younger audience for a more mature audience.
It’s a valid concern on Disney’s part, but the audience would have been built up of those who watched the show all those years ago anyway.
We can’t wait to see what’s in store for Wizards of Waverly Place.