Selena Gomez recalls nostalgic experiences filming the spinoff “Wizards of Waverly Place” with David Henrie; calls reboot “childhood gift”

Selena Gomez recently spoke about the Wizards of Waverly Place spin-off, Wizards Beyond Waverly Place. She revealed that her return was a bit like finding her way home, as she never thought she would be able to play Alex Russo again.

In an interview with Variety during the Hollywood premiere of season 4 of Only Murders in the Building, the Rare Beauty mogul expressed her joy at getting to play Alex Russo again as it was unexpected. She said, “It felt like I was back home. I’m so happy that I was able to pass on this gift from my childhood that I was given to the new little ones out there.”

Gomez told the broadcaster how excited she was to bring this iconic character back to life, who will now belong to a completely different generation.

In the spin-off series, David Henrie, who reprises his role as Justin Russo, uses the same magic wand as in the original series. According to him, the idea for the new show came from years of discussions with Gomez, in which they frequently imagined what their characters would have become today. He told the outlet, “It took years of development to get it exactly where it needed to be.”

The Russo siblings actors then decided to pitch the series to Disney, developing a project that is deeply rooted in their love for the original and still has a huge fan base. Henrie added: “The thing Selena is asked about most to this day is ‘Wizards’. It’s a series that has meant a lot to a lot of people.”

David Henrie described reuniting with Selena Gomez on set as surreal. He said when they started filming, it felt like no time had passed, even though the original series was already 12 years old. The spin-off comedy series, titled Wizards Beyond Waverly, is set to premiere on Disney Channel and Disney Plus in 2024.

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