‘Wizards of Waverly Place’: Jake T. Austin ‘Looking Forward’ to Joining Sequel Series
Jake T. Austin wasn’t pictured in a recent Russo reunion on Instagram, but the actor says he’ll rejoin his Wizards of Waverly Place family for the Disney Channel show’s upcoming sequel series.
On Instagram on Saturday, David DeLuise and David Henrie posted a photo of themselves with former costars Selena Gomez and Maria Canals-Barrera. “The Russos coming back,” they wrote in the caption, adding a heart emoji and a magic wand emoji.
Canals-Barrera posted another pic from the mini-reunion, telling fans, “You guys are gonna love the new Wizards show.”
Those two pics didn’t include Austin, but he reposted DeLuise and Henrie’s upload on his Instagram Stories and wrote, “Wow! Am looking forward to getting together with my Wizards family.”
Jake T. Austin/Instagram
On the original Wizards — which aired from 2007 to 2017 — DeLuise and Canals-Barrera played the ex-wizard Jerry Russo and his mortal wife, Theresa. Henrie, Gomez, and Austin played the couple’s magically-inclined kids, portraying Justin, Alex, and Max Russo, respectively.
Earlier this month, Deadline reported that Disney Branded Television had ordered a pilot for a sequel series from Raven’s Home writers and executive producers Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas. Henrie and Gomez both signed on to exec-produce and act in the show, with Henrie joining as a series regular and Gomez agreeing to guest-star in the first episode.
At the start of the sequel series, Justin has left magic behind and embraced a normal life with his wife and two sons. But a mysterious incident at WizTech and the arrival of a young trainee brings Justin back into the wizarding world.
Janice LeAnn Brown, Alkaio Thiele, and Mimi Gianopulos will also star in the new Wizards series. Brown will lead the show as the powerful young wizard Billie; Thiele will play Justin’s elder son, Roman; and Gianopulos will play Justin’s wife, Giada.
