Selena Gomez and David Henrie Talk ‘Wizards of Waverly Place’ Spinoff

It’s been more than a dozen years since “Wizards of Waverly Place” ended after four seasons in 2012, but when they reunited for the spinoff “Wizards Beyond Waverly Place,” it was as if no time had passed for star Selena Gomez and David Henrie.

“It felt like I was back home,” Gomez told me Thursday at the Season 4 premiere of “Only Murders in the Building” in Hollywood. “I’m so happy to be able to bring back this childhood gift I received for new little ones.”

When the original “Wizards” came to an end, Gomez never imagined she would play Alex Russo again. But now she’s hoping the spinoff will be a multi-season run. “We don’t know, but if people like it, we’ll see,” she said.

David Henrie, who reprises the role of Alex’s brother Justin, told me, “Selena and I and my wife have spent so much time over the years drinking wine and talking about where the characters would be that we started meeting each other on at one point looked and said, ‘I think we have a show. I think we need to talk to Disney about this.” And we did. It took years of development to get it exactly where it needed to be.

“It came from a place of love,” he continued. “The number one thing Selena gets asked about to this day is ‘Wizards.’ It’s a show that has meant a lot to a lot of people.”

Gomez announced the spinoff during Disney’s 2024 presentation in May. At the same time, images from the show were released, showing adult versions of Alex and Justin, along with new Russo family members.

“It was crazy,” Henrie said of the new collaboration with Gomez. “It was unspoken, but we were behind a door and heard ‘Action.’ We looked at each other and said, ‘This is crazy.’ It was as if not a day had passed in twelve years. We were right back where we were.”

“Wizards: Beyond Waverly Place” follows an adult Justin, who has chosen to live a normal, mortal life with his family, Giada (Mimi Gianopulos), Roman (Alkaio Thiele) and Milo (Max Matenko). When Alex brings Billie (Janice LeAnn Brown) to his house to seek help, Justin agrees to mentor the wizard-in-training while simultaneously managing his daily responsibilities and securing the future of the Wizarding World.

Henrie is also looking forward to the potential of more seasons: “It’s such a fertile universe. You could do so much.”

Henrie uses his original wand in the spin-off. When the show ended in 2012, producers gave the glass-framed wands as gifts to the cast. “I thought, I’m going to break this sucker out again,” Henrie said.