Wizards Beyond Waverly Place Stars David Henrie And Janice LeAnn Brown Talk About ‘Engaging’ New Audience
Wizards Beyond Waverly Place's returning star and executive producer David Henrie and teen star Janice LeAnn Brown opened up about their experience in the show and their hopes with the audience. Exciting deets inside!
Wizards of Waverly Place was among the comfort Disney shows for every kid in the early 2000s. Show alums Selena Gomez and David Henrie brought back the wizarding world with a new generation twist. The spin-off series follows returning star Henrie’s character Justin Russo who’s in the same position as his dad (David DeLuise) was in the original sitcom.
The story revolves around the eldest Russo sibling who has left the magical world and embraced mortality to live with his family. The Same Old Love singer reprises her iconic character Alex Russo in the premiere episode as the fun wizard aunt to Justin’s kids.
She introduces him to Billie (Janice LeAnn Brown) a wizard-in-training, who needs mentorship. Now Justin must keep his commitment while keeping the Russo family’s wizarding history undisclosed from his family.
The Teen star and returning actor who’s also executive producer alongside Gomez, opened up about their hopes for the show. “It’s meaningful because the fans over the years have meant so much to me and Selena,” Henrie told The Hollywood Reporter.
“I wanted to bring this show back both as a big hug to the original fan of nostalgia and bring those values to a whole new generation who have missed the original show,” he added.
He further expressed his excitement about bringing the show to a new generation of audience, and Brown’s casting was done with that intention. Henrie noted that the teen star was in 2010, and the original show concluded in 2011, and hence, “it’s an exciting time to engage a whole new audience.”
When asked about Brown’s experience working on the show, she described it as an “honor” especially since she was a big fan of the Wizard of Waverly Place movie. “The movie was my jam. To be part of something that I used to hold dear to my heart feels very surreal, like a great blessing to have,” she added.
The first nine episodes of Wizards Beyond Waverly Place are currently streaming on Disney+. The release date for the remaining 12 episodes of season one is yet to be announced.