βThe RussosΒ β€οΈπͺcoming back,βΒ David DeLuiseΒ andΒ David Henrie, who played father and son onΒ Wizards of Waverly Place,Β captioned a jointΒ InstagramΒ post on Friday, January 26.
DeLuise, 52, and Henrie, 34, were all smiles as they posed alongside former costarsΒ Selena GomezΒ andΒ Maria Canals-Barrera.
Wizards of Waverly Place βΒ which launched Gomez, now 31, to fame β originally aired on Disney Channel between 2007 and 2012. Henrie, Gomez andΒ Jake T. AustinΒ played the three Russo siblings, who were secretly wizards-in-training while balancing normal teen lives in New York City. News broke earlier this month that Henrie and Gomez, who played the eldest Russo siblings Justin and Alex, would reprise their roles in a new TV pilot.
The Cast of Disney Channelβs βWizards of Waverly Placeβ: Where Are They Now?
“You guys are gonna LOVE the newΒ WizardsΒ show!βΒ WizardsΒ mom Canals-Barrera, 57, gushed viaΒ InstagramΒ on Friday.
Several formerΒ WizardsΒ guest stars commented on the sweet reunion pics.
βThis makes me soooo happy,βΒ Bailee Madison, who briefly played a gender-swapped version of Austinβs Max on the final season, wrote via Instagram comment.
Josh Sussman, for his part, added, βThe best TV family!Β β€οΈβ€οΈβ€οΈ.β
Henrie and Gomez announced on January 18 thatΒ they were producing a spinoffΒ ofΒ Wizards of Waverly PlaceΒ that will revolve around a grown-up Justin (Henrie) and his family. Justin, who ended the OG series finale as a full-wizard and the headmaster of wizarding school WizTech, has since given up his powers. In the pilot, he will return to the world of magic when he meets a young wizard named Billie (Janice LeAnn Brown) in need of a mentor. It is not yet known what Alex (Gomez) has been up to in the new series.
The βWizards of Waverly Placeβ Revival: Everything to Know Including Selena Gomezβs Involvement
Gomez and her former TV family haveΒ frequently stayed in touchΒ since the show wrapped. She and Henrie have even been perfecting their reboot pitch for years.
βNothing has happened yet, but thereβs a lot of talk [of a revival],β HenrieΒ toldΒ AccessΒ in August 2020. βWe all talk about it for fun. Everyone would be down, but itβs just a matter of time, I think. Weβve talked about it:Β Gregg [Sulkin], Selena, me, Jake. I think, what we said [about] what made the show special was that we were a family and that the family stuff together was like a family unit.β
David Henrie, Maria Canals-Barrera, Jake T. Austin, David DeLuise and Selena Gomez.Β WireImage
He continued at the time: βI think a great place to start the [potential new] show would be the opposite version of that, so you have somewhere to go throughout the series. So, if you started the show where the familyβs divided, and not united.β
Henrie further speculated that Gomezβs Alex would be a major fashionista, like βtheΒ Meryl StreepΒ of the wizard world,β while Austinβs Max would own a chain of sub shops. (While Max lost the wizard competition in the OG series finale, Jerry gave him the keys to the familyβs sandwich restaurant.)