‘Wizards Beyond Waverly Place’ Star David Henrie Teases a ‘Rebirth’ in Sequel Series (Exclusive)

Over 10 years after Wizards of Waverly Place ended, the next generation of Russos and young wizards is coming in new series Wizards Beyond Waverly Place, premiering on Oct. 29 on Disney Channel, and David Henrie spoke to PopCulture.com about what to expect. The actor played Justin Russo on the original series, which ran for four seasons from 2007 to 2012. and reprises the role in the new show. He’s also an executive producer alongside on-screen sister Selena Gomez. While Justin did not win the family wizard competition in the finale, he did become a full wizard when he took over as headmaster of WizTech.

Fast forward a decade, and Justin is no longer a wizard, married to a mortal, and has two sons. But when sister and family wizard Alex brings him a rebellious young wizard in the hopes of him teaching her, Justin is tasked with returning to his magical roots. Henrie is ushering in a new era for Wizards and bringing together old and new fans, and he told PopCulture that he’s “really excited for people to see this because it really is a balancing act between the spirit of the original show in a whole new way for a whole new demographic.”

“My hope is that this show will be a big hug to the original fans, but at the same time, an invitation to create what they might have had, which is a fun experience with their parent,” Henrie continued. “So I’m hoping that the original fan feels the love in this new show, but at the same time, invites a young person to watch it with them. It could be one of their own children, their niece, their nephews, someone they’re babysitting.”

“I really do think this can be that same co-viewing magic we had with the original show but in a whole new way,” he shared. “And we have a wonderful vehicle in this wonderful actress, Janice Brown, who plays Billie, to represent the classic themes from the original about family. Because her character, in a lot of ways, is mistrustful of family, mistrustful of authority, and struggles with feeling accepted. She’s had a lot of rejection in her life, and she has a fear of death. So her character is such a wonderful element to add into the show, to get to experience unconditional love, something that takes a lot of time to win her over.”

Fans haven’t seen Justin Russo since the Wizards of Waverly Place finale in 2012, as David Henrie was unavailable to return for The Wizards Return movie in 2013. So when they finally see him again, he will be in a different place and one that even Justin himself wouldn’t have imagined. “You’re gonna ask a lot of questions because when you first meet him, you’re gonna see that he no longer has his powers and that something happened in the past,” Henrie explained.

“It’s a fun place to be at for the beginning of the show because this really is kind of like the resurrection of Justin,” he continued. “You see him, he doesn’t have any of his powers, but he has what makes him happy, which is his wife and his kids, and that’s great. But you do see that he has missed his potential in life, and that’s due to some scandal in the past. And I think that’s a very relatable thing for a lot of people in general. So he’s at a great place when you meet him he starts to dig into his past. And the first season is kind of like his rebirth.”

Even though Justin’s life will be a little different, there will still be some familiarity of the original series, including “the crazy magical effects and elements you brought from the original show, just modern day,” Henrie said. “You’re gonna get the heart, the humor, the mysteries. We really pay very careful attention to try to bring all the greatest elements from the original show forward for this new one. So I’m really excited. You’re gonna see original cast members. You’re gonna see all sorts of stuff that you’re gonna love.”

It sounds like Wizards Beyond Waverly Place will be a special series, and one that fans of the original will love and new fans just tuning in. There is no telling how the show will turn out, but it won’t be long until we find out. The sequel series premieres on Tuesday, Oct. 29 on Disney Channel, with the first eight episodes streaming the next day on Disney+.