| Wizards of Waverly Place | |
|---|---|
.png) | |
| Genre | |
| Created by | Todd J. Greenwald |
| Showrunners |
|
| Starring | |
| Opening theme | "Everything Is Not What It Seems" by Selena Gomez |
| Composers | John Adair and Steve Hampson |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 106(list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producer | Greg A. Hampson |
| Cinematography | Rick F. Gunter |
| Editors |
|
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production company | It's a Laugh Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | Disney Channel |
| Release | October 12, 2007 (2007-10-12) – January 6, 2012 (2012-01-06) |
| Related | |
| Wizards Beyond Waverly Place | |
Wizards of Waverly Place is an Americanfantasyteen sitcom created byTodd J. Greenwald that aired onDisney Channel for four seasons between October 2007 and January 2012. The series centers onAlex Russo (Selena Gomez), a teenagewizard living onWaverly Place in theGreenwich Village section of New York City, who undertakes training alongside her brothers, Justin (David Henrie) and Max (Jake T. Austin), who are also equipped with magical abilities. The three siblings are trained knowing that one day they will compete to win sole custody of their family's powers. Episodes focus on Alex's challenges in keeping her secret powers hidden while she deals with the social and personal issues of her youth. She frequently uses magic in her everyday life, sometimes irresponsibly, and develops her supernatural abilities over the course of the series. The main themes depicted include family, friendship, and adolescence; the series also contains fantasy elements.
The Walt Disney Company developed the series to follow on from its successful line of comedy series in the 2000s, includingLizzie McGuire,The Suite Life of Zack & Cody andHannah Montana.It's a Laugh Productions produced the program, and it premiered on Disney Channel on October 12, 2007. A made-for-television film adaptation,Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie aired on the network in 2009 and was awarded aPrimetime Emmy Award forOutstanding Children's Program in 2010. The series ended on January 6, 2012, to allow Gomez to take on more mature roles. After its conclusion, the cast returned for a stand-alone television special in 2013, titledThe Wizards Return: Alex vs. Alex. A sequel series in which Henrie and Gomez both appear,Wizards Beyond Waverly Place, premiered in October 2024.
Wizards of Waverly Place enjoyed consistently high viewership in the United States on broadcast television andtie-ins included merchandise, a soundtrack album and video game adaptations. Television critics praised the show for its humor and cast; Gomez's affiliation with the network led to a prominent musical career apart from the program.Wizards of Waverly Place won two additional Emmys for Outstanding Children's Program in 2009 and 2012, as well as twoArtios Awards from theCasting Society of America for Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Children's Series Programming – between 2009 and 2012. Itsseries finale was the most-watched final episode of any Disney Channel series.
Alex, Justin, and Max Russo are three teenagewizards-in-training living in an apartment onWaverly Place inGreenwich Village,Manhattan, New York City.[1] In his spare time, their father Jerry Russo, a former wizard, provides his children with daily lessons in their secret lair on how to usemagic responsibly.[2] Jerry and his wife Theresa run a family business, a sandwich shop designed to look like asubway station, on the ground level of their apartment building.[1] According to the rules of the "Wizard World", once they complete their training, the Russo children will compete to determine which sibling will retain their powers permanently and become the sole wizard of the family.[1] Since the other children will eventually lose their powers, Jerry tries to teach them not to become dependent on magic.[2] Jerry descends from a family of wizards and won his own family's competition as a teenager, but relinquished his powers when he married Theresa, who is a mortal. His powers were transferred to his younger brother Kelbo.[1][2][3] Alex must keep her powers hidden from her best friend, Harper Finkle, which causes an occasional strain on their relationship.[4] Alex reveals her secret to Harper in thesecond season; however, the existence of wizards must remain hidden to the wider mortal world.[5][6]
In thethird season Harper moves in with the Russo family, and Max's efforts to win the family wizard competition become more serious.[7] Leading into thefourth and final season Alex and Justin are both tricked into exposing the existence of wizards to government officials and a group of reporters.[8][9] It is revealed that the whole scenario was a test devised as part of their training, and consequently, Alex and Justin are demoted to lower positions in the family competition. Alex is overwhelmed by her loss of progress and quits;[8] she later rejoins to continue dating herwerewolf boyfriend, Mason Greyback.[10] Meanwhile, Justin becomes a tutor for a group of delinquent wizards, which assists him in recovering his position in the competition.[11] At the conclusion of the series, the siblings compete to see who will retain their supernatural abilities.[12] Alex wins the family wizard competition and is awarded full magic powers, while Justin is allowed to retain his abilities when he assumes the role of headmaster at WizTech, a boarding school for young wizards-in-training. Max loses his powers but becomes the new manager of the family's sandwich shop, also securing investments from the wizard world.[11][13]
The series deals with the theme of secret identities.[1][14] It explores thefantasy that children may experience of wanting magical powers, in the same wayHannah Montana explores the fantasy of being apop star.[14][15][16] Series such asSabrina the Teenage Witch and theHarry Potter franchise, and a trend towards thefantasy television genre, made stories about children with magical powers popular.[17][18][19] Episodes ofWizards of Waverly Place typically show the Russo children using magic to solve an issue in their personal lives quickly, but they learn not to become dependent on their powers, as only one of the siblings is expected to retain them following the family competition.[2] The children try to live normal lives; the show presents the idea that life can be enjoyable without magic.[11][18] Conflicts in the series arise from Alex's struggle to balance both her private and her public life; her identity is built upon the magical powers which she must keep hidden.[20] Scholar Colin Ackerman suggests that the concept of magic in the series is a form ofsocial privilege and the Russo children are encouraged to keep their advantage hidden. He believed that the characters are influenced by consumer-driven values, for things which they are easily able to attain using magic.[13]
The program's stories center on family, friends, and growing up. The Russo family is depicted as working class and they run a family business in theservice industry. Jerry and Theresa teach their children the significance of family, hard work and responsibility; the characters regularly learn lessons such as the importance of staying true to oneself.[21] Academic Heidi Denzel de Tirado argued that Alex understands the depth of family values only during the wizard competition, when she and Justin decide to set aside their personal success for the benefit of family.[22] The series explores familyheritage; the Russo family has a mixed background – Italian, Mexican, and American – but their culture is not prominently featured in most episodes, with occasional exceptions such as Alex'squinceañera.[23] Scholar Morgan Genevieve Blue said Alex is designed to be representative ofLatina-American girlhood.[24]
In the early 2000s,The Walt Disney Company found success through itspay television networkDisney Channel with a pattern of original comedy series for atween and family audience, such asLizzie McGuire,The Suite Life of Zack & Cody andHannah Montana.[15][25] The network planned to build on these successes with a new comedy series aimed at girls.[15][17]Wizards of Waverly Place was created byTodd J. Greenwald, who had previously worked on the first season ofHannah Montana.[26] He had also worked on a pilot forNBC; Disney hired him after seeing it.[26] Greenwald adopted the network's idea of a show centering on a family of wizards.[26] The series is set in a fictionalized version of Waverly Place in Greenwich Village.[1]Peter Murrieta had worked previously on the sitcomHope & Faith in New York City and had moved to Los Angeles before being approached by Disney to help develop the series.[27] When Murrieta joined the project as an executive producer, it was titledThe Amazing O'Malleys; he thought they would produce only a pilot.[28] He had never produced a show targeted at a youth audience and was apprehensive about being involved.[27][28] Murrieta helped guide the writing and casting throughout the development process and re-wrote the pilot.[27][29] Adam Bonnett, a Disney Channel programming executive, cited the influence of sitcomsBewitched andI Dream of Jeannie on the series.[15]
Disney executives first became aware ofSelena Gomez at anopen casting call inTexas at age twelve,[a][15][30] and she went on to appear in guest roles on Disney Channel programs, includingThe Suite Life of Zack & Cody.[31] The network saw potential in Gomez and wanted her to star in a full series.[30] She filmed two pilots for the network,Arwin! (a spin-off ofThe Suite Life of Zack & Cody) andStevie Sanchez (a spin-off ofLizzie McGuire); neither of these series weregreen-lit, but Gomez was ultimately cast inWizards of Waverly Place.[32][33][34] The unaired pilot was set in amagic store and featured only two siblings, twins Jordan and Julia.[35][36][b] The show was green-lit after this pilot.[35] Gomez was attached to the series by February 2007, as well asDavid Henrie andJake T. Austin; the characters were named Brooke, Sully and Max O'Malley at this stage.[37] In March 2007 the network officially announcedDisney's Wizards as an upcoming comedy to premiere in the fall.[38] At the time of the announcement, the characters were named Alexa, Aaron and Max Esposito.[38] Greenwald and Murrieta served as executive producers;[38] Murrieta changed the family's surname to Russo and wrote the children as "mixed-race".[28] Gomez appeared in a guest role onHannah Montana ascross-promotion for the new series;[39]Wizards would eventually be aired in a timeslot after its peer series.[19]
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Selena Gomez portrays the central character of Alex Russo. Gomez had left traditional school after theseventh grade and moved to Los Angeles.[40] She sings the series' theme song, "Everything Is Not What It Seems".[41] Alex has been described as dark, crass and a jerk, as well as a "wisecracking underachiever".[1][11][42] She is characterized by hertomboyish, rebellious and lazy attitude.[1][11][39] Gomez asked for her character to remain edgy to resemble her own style.[39]Jennifer Aniston's portrayal ofRachel Green onFriends inspired Gomez, who adopted similar mannerisms while playing Alex.[43]
David Henrie plays Justin Russo, who is considered to be sarcastic.[17][44] Greenwald described Justin as a nerd, in comparison to Alex's "tough female character".[17][44] Henrie wrote two episodes of the series, "Alex's Logo" and "Meet the Werewolves".[44][45][46] Max Russo is portrayed by Jake T. Austin, who said the character was unintelligent, but becomes slightly smarter toward the end of the series.[12] His character was temporarily transformed into a younger female in the fourth season because of a magic spell;Bailee Madison played the female counterpart, Maxine, while Austin took a hiatus from the program.[9][12][18]Maria Canals-Barrera plays the children's mother Theresa Russo;[18]David DeLuise plays their father Jerry Russo.[5][17] The parents are described by Barry Garron ofThe Hollywood Reporter as loving but "slightly goofy".[5] DeLuise and Austin were not featured in the unaired pilot.[35][36]Jennifer Stone portrays Alex's best friend, Harper, who was described as "comic relief" byBoston.com's Joanna Weiss.[17][18] Stone had previously auditioned for a Disney Channel pilot calledBus Life, which was not picked up.[16] She originally planned to audition for the role of Alex onWizards before being cast as Harper, and stated that she "fought" to become a series regular.[36] Guest stars during the course of the series includeBridgit Mendler as Juliet van Heusen, Justin's vampire girlfriend,[18] andGregg Sulkin as Mason Greyback, Alex's werewolf boyfriend.[9][18]
Murrieta chose to write the Russo family as "mixed-race", and he felt that the argumentative relationships between the Russo siblings resembled those of his childhood.[28] Greenwald believed that the brother–sister dynamic was at the heart of the show.[35] Murrieta stated that it was the intention of the creative team for Alex to be openlybisexual, but they were unable to make it explicit at the time. He referred to the guest character Stevie, played byHayley Kiyoko, as a potential female love interest for Alex.[47]Wizards of Waverly Place was filmed atHollywood Center Studios.[37]
The series was renewed for a third season in May 2009,[7][30] with eight episodes added to the order in September.[48] Murrieta left the program at the conclusion of the third season in April 2010.[29] He later claimed that he was not invited back as theshowrunner for the fourth season due to creative differences.[49] The fourth season ofWizards of Waverly Place was ordered in June 2010.[50]Vince Cheung and Ben Montanio became the new showrunners and executive producers alongside Greenwald; Gomez announced in July that it would be the final season of the program.[50][51] Austin claimed the series ended to allow Gomez to pursue more mature roles;[52]The A.V. Club's Marah Eakin speculated that Gomez had become more popular than the show itself and it was time for her to move on.[42] The series finale aired on January 6, 2012; the episode depicts the family's wizard competition.[12]
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | |||
| 1 | 21 | October 12, 2007 (2007-10-12) | August 31, 2008 (2008-08-31) | |
| 2 | 30 | September 12, 2008 (2008-09-12) | August 21, 2009 (2009-08-21) | |
| Film | August 28, 2009 (2009-08-28) | |||
| 3 | 28 | October 9, 2009 (2009-10-09) | October 15, 2010 (2010-10-15) | |
| 4 | 27 | November 12, 2010 (2010-11-12) | January 6, 2012 (2012-01-06) | |
| Special | March 15, 2013 (2013-03-15) | |||
Wizards of Waverly Place has received positive reviews for its actors and their comedic skills. Marah Eakin felt that it was a positive departure from Disney's typical series, with minimalslapstick humor but still havingexaggerated acting.[1] Gomez was praised for hercomic timing andsarcastic delivery; theLos Angeles Times's Mary McNamara described her portrayal of Alex as "sweet and sassy".[18][53] Additionally, McNamara believed that Justin and Max did not serve as comic relief; Jake T. Austin was called "absurdly hilarious" by blogger Mark Robinson.[18][53] The central characters were described as "cute, precocious, but far from angelic" by Garron, who said child viewers would want to watch more.[5] In addition to the cast and humor, the series' concept and themes were also praised. Critics suggested that the series capitalized on the success of theHarry Potter franchise,[54][18][53] and it was also compared toBewitched for the similarities in their magical elements.[18] It was listed as one of Disney's best sitcoms by Robinson, who wrote that the series combined fantasy and comedy "seamlessly".[53] While the fourth season was on air, Eakin said the quality of the series had not diminished, and has a lot of heart, depth and "actual feeling".[1] McNamara praised the show for not relying onshtick or itslaugh track.[18]
Some characters were criticized by reviewers; Paul Asay of Christian websitePlugged In did not view Alex as a positive role model because of her rebellious nature, and the parents were described as foolish by Weiss.[11][17] Ackerman found fault with the show's contradictory messages, saying there are never consequences for the Russo children abusing their magical powers; he felt that the characters seem to forget the lessons they learn and continue to make the same mistakes. The lessons Jerry teaches about how to live life without magic were interpreted as pointless, as when the series ends, both Alex and Justin retain their abilities.[55] The setting of Greenwich Village was also problematic for Ackerman, as he suggested that the Russos, a working-class family, would not be financially able to live in one of the most expensive New York neighborhoods.[56] The show has been criticized for its predictable premise and supernatural elements, described as "less magical than milquetoast" by Weiss.[17] Reviewing the series finale, Eakin criticized the quality of the wizards' robe costuming and the use of a laugh track.[42] Critics have found fault with the program'sspecial effects, such as thecomputer animation of agriffin.[11][17][42] Asay referred to the program's depiction ofangels as "spiritually misleading".[11]
Wizards of Waverly Place premiered on October 12, 2007, on the same night as the network's premiere ofTwitches Too, and attracted 5.9 million viewers.[57] The one-hour series finale, "Who Will Be the Family Wizard?", aired on January 6, 2012, and became the show's most-watched episode, with an audience of 9.8 million.[58] It was the finale with the highest rating for any Disney Channel series.[58]
| Season | Episodes | Timeslot (ET) | Season premiere | Season finale | Average viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 | Friday 8:30pm[5] | October 12, 2007 (2007-10-12)[16] | August 31, 2008 (2008-08-31) | 4.2[c] |
| 2 | 30 | Friday 8:30pm[59] | September 12, 2008 (2008-09-12) | August 21, 2009 (2009-08-21) | 4.54[d] |
| 3 | 28 | Friday 8:00pm[48] | October 9, 2009 (2009-10-09)[48] | October 15, 2010 (2010-10-15)[9] | 3.94 |
| 4 | 27 | Friday 8:00pm[60] | November 12, 2010 (2010-11-12)[9] | January 6, 2012 (2012-01-06)[12] | 3.87[e] |
| Award | Year | Recipient(s) and nominee(s) | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALMA Award | 2008 | Jake T. Austin | Male Performance in a Comedy Television Series | Nominated | [61] |
| Selena Gomez | Female Performance in a Comedy Television Series | Nominated | |||
| Maria Canals-Barrera | Nominated | ||||
| 2009 | Jake T. Austin | Year in Television – Comedy Actress | Nominated | [62][63] | |
| Selena Gomez | Year in Television – Comedy Actress | Won | |||
| Maria Canals-Barrera | Nominated | ||||
| Peter Murrieta | Behind The Scenes – Special Achievement Honorees | Nominated | |||
| 2011 | Selena Gomez | Favorite TV Actress – Leading Role in a Comedy | Nominated | [64][65] | |
| Maria Canals-Barrera | Favorite TV Actress – Supporting Role | Won | |||
| Wizards of Waverly Place | Favorite TV Series | Nominated | |||
| Artios Awards | 2008 | Ruth Lambert and Robert McGee | Outstanding Achievement in Casting: Children's Television Series Programming | Nominated | [66] |
| 2009 | Won | [67] | |||
| 2010 | Nominated | [68] | |||
| 2011 | Nominated | [69] | |||
| 2012 | Won | [70] | |||
| British Academy Children's Awards | 2010 | Wizards of Waverly Place | BAFTA Kids' Vote: Television | Won | [71] |
| Directors Guild of America | 2008 | Fred Savage (for "Crazy 10-Minute Sale") | Children's Programming | Nominated | [72] |
| Gracie Awards | 2010 | Selena Gomez | Outstanding Female Rising Star in a Comedy Series | Won | [73] |
| Imagen Awards | 2008 | Selena Gomez | Best Actress – Television | Nominated | [74] |
| Maria Canals-Barrera | Best Supporting Actress – Television | Nominated | |||
| 2010 | Selena Gomez | Best Actress – Television | Nominated | [75] | |
| Maria Canals-Barrera | Best Supporting Actress – Television | Nominated | |||
| 2011 | Selena Gomez | Best Young Actress – Television | Won | [76] | |
| Maria Canals-Barrera | Best Supporting Actress – Television | Nominated | |||
| 2012 | Selena Gomez | Best Young Actress – Television | Nominated | [77] | |
| 2013 | Selena Gomez (forThe Wizards Return: Alex vs. Alex) | Best Actress – Television | Nominated | [78] | |
| The Wizards Return: Alex vs. Alex | Best Children's Programming | Nominated | |||
| NAACP Image Awards | 2009 | Selena Gomez | Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Program – Series or Special | Nominated | [79] |
| 2010 | Nominated | [80] | |||
| 2011 | Nominated | [81] | |||
| Wizards of Waverly Place | Outstanding Children's Program | Nominated | |||
| 2012 | Vince Cheung and Ben Montanio (for "Wizards vs. Angels") | Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series | Nominated | [82] | |
| Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards (Australia) | 2009 | Selena Gomez | Fave International TV Star | Nominated | [83] |
| 2010 | Fave TV Star | Won | [84][85] | ||
| Wizards of Waverly Place | Fave TV Show | Nominated | |||
| 2011 | Selena Gomez | Fave TV Star | Won | [86] | |
| Wizards of Waverly Place | Fave TV Show | Won | |||
| Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards (United States) | 2009 | Selena Gomez | Favorite Television Actress | Won | [87] |
| 2010 | Favorite Television Actress | Won | [88] | ||
| Wizards of Waverly Place | Favorite TV Show | Nominated | [89] | ||
| 2011 | Selena Gomez | Favorite Television Actress | Won | [90] | |
| David Henrie | Funniest TV Sidekick | Nominated | [91] | ||
| Wizards of Waverly Place | Favorite TV Show | Nominated | |||
| 2012 | Selena Gomez | Favorite Television Actress | Won | [92] | |
| Jennifer Stone | Funniest TV Sidekick | Nominated | [93] | ||
| Wizards of Waverly Place | Favorite TV Show | Nominated | |||
| 2013 | Selena Gomez | Favorite Television Actress | Won | [94] | |
| Jake T. Austin | Favorite Television Actor | Nominated | [95] | ||
| Wizards of Waverly Place | Favorite TV Show | Nominated | |||
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 2009 | Wizards of Waverly Place | Outstanding Children's Program | Won | [96] |
| 2010 | Nominated | [97] | |||
| 2011 | Nominated | [98] | |||
| Rick Frank Gunter (for "Dancing with Angels") | Outstanding Cinematography for a Multi-Camera Series | Nominated | [99] | ||
| 2012 | Wizards of Waverly Place | Outstanding Children's Program | Won | [100] | |
| Shanghai Television Festival | 2010 | Wizards of Waverly Place | Magnolia Award for Best Television Film or Miniseries | Nominated | [101] |
| Teen Choice Awards | 2009 | Jake T. Austin | Choice TV: Sidekick | Nominated | [102] |
| 2010 | Selena Gomez | Choice TV Actress: Comedy | Won | [103] | |
| Wizards of Waverly Place | Choice TV Show: Comedy | Nominated | [104] | ||
| 2011 | Selena Gomez | Choice TV Actress: Comedy | Won | [105] | |
| Wizards of Waverly Place | Choice TV Show: Comedy | Nominated | [106] | ||
| Young Artist Awards | 2008 | Selena Gomez, David Henrie, Jennifer Stone and Jake T. Austin | Best Young Ensemble Performance in a TV Series | Nominated | [107] |
| 2009 | Selena Gomez | Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) – Leading Young Actress | Nominated | [108] | |
| Jake T. Austin | Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) – Leading Young Actor | Nominated | |||
| 2010 | Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) – Leading Young Actor | Nominated | [109] | ||
| 2011 | Bella Thorne | Best Performance in a TV Series – Guest Starring Young Actress 11–15 | Nominated | [110] | |
| 2012 | Bridgit Mendler | Best Performance in a TV Series – Recurring Young Actress 17–21 | Nominated | [111] | |
| L.J. Benet | Best Performance in a TV Series – Guest Starring Young Actor 14–17 | Nominated |
Disney Channel asked the series executive team, including Murrieta and Greenwald, to adapt the series into a made-for-television film.[28][112]Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie aired on the network on August 28, 2009, and starred Gomez, Henrie, Austin, Stone, Canals-Barrera and DeLuise.[112] It was filmed on location inSan Juan, Puerto Rico,[28][112] and depicts the Russo family on aCaribbean vacation.[28] In the film, which was written byDan Berendsen, Alex unintentionally performs a magic spell which alters history so that her parents have never met.[112] The broadcast had 11.4 million viewers,[113][f] and won a Primetime Emmy Award in 2010 for Outstanding Children's Program.[97] A second television film was ordered in June 2010, scheduled to enter production in 2011. In 2012, however, Austin said it had been canceled because of the maturing careers of the cast.[9][12][50] Berendsen was to write the screenplay.[50]
It was reported in September 2012 that an hour-long television special,The Wizards Return: Alex vs. Alex, would be produced for the network, with Gomez in an executive producer role alongside Cheung, Dan Cross and David Hoge.[115] Gomez, Austin, Stone, Canals-Barrera, DeLuise and Sulkin returned for the special which began filming in October in Los Angeles.[115] The special depicts the Russo family traveling toTuscany, Italy, to meet with relatives, before Alex accidentally casts a spell which creates a good and evil version of herself.[115] Cheung, Montanio and Berendsen wrote the screenplay, andVictor Gonzalez directed.[115] The special premiered on March 15, 2013, watched by 5.9 million viewers.[114]
Walt Disney Records released asoundtrack album for the series on August 4, 2009, including songs from, and inspired by, the series and film.[116]Disney Interactive Studios released two video games based on the series for theNintendo DS:Wizards of Waverly Place in August 2009, andWizards of Waverly Place: Spellbound in November 2010.[117][118]
A Malaysian adaptation of the series,Wizards of Warna Walk, was produced forDisney Channel in Southeast Asia in 2019.[119] The series ran for 14 episodes and was filmed atPinewood Studios in Johor, over two months.[119] Set inKuala Lumpur, the adaptation was designed to use local actors, music compositions, theMalaysian language andAsian values.[119] Network executives considered adapting other series such asHannah Montana, but ultimately found thatWizards resonated the best with test audiences.[119]Wizards of Warna Walk was broadcast in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines.[119]
It was teased in December 2022 that DeLuise and Stone would begin hosting a podcast entitledWizards of Waverly Pod.[120] The podcast premiered on February 6, 2023, through the podcast network PodCo owned byChristy Carlson Romano. Gomez was featured as a guest in an episode.[121]
The possibility of a reunion series has been mentioned by several main cast members since 2017.[122] Greenwald said in 2017 that he would like to seeWizards of Waverly Place continue with a high-budget feature film in the vein ofHarry Potter.[35] He also shared an idea for a prequel series which would follow Jerry as he attended WizTech in his high school years, and would feature his siblings.[35] In August 2020, Henrie commented that all key actors were open to producing arevival of the series; he clarified that formal discussions with Disney had not yet occurred.[123] Henrie suggested that the revival could revolve around a disconnected Russo family, several years later, who are all finding success separately but must learn to come together again.[124]
Deadline Hollywood reported in January 2024 thatDisney Branded Television had ordered a pilot for a sequel series starring Henrie as a series regular and Gomez as a guest star.[125] The pilot, written by Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas, revolves around a powerful young wizard named Billie, who comes to Justin Russo in seek of training and prompts him to resume his life as a wizard, after he had chosen to live a normal life with his wife and two sons.[125] Under the working title ofWizards, the sequel received a full series order in March 2024.[126] The official title was announced asWizards Beyond Waverly Place in May 2024, and the series premiered on October 29, 2024.[127][128]
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