Wizards Beyond Waverly Place criticised for "replacing" Jennifer Stone with Harper lookalike

1 November 2024, 13:23

By Sam Prance

Fans think Mimi Gianopulos' Wizards Beyond Waverly Place character Giada shares a lot in common with Harper.

Wizards Beyond Waverly Place is being criticised for the absence of Jennifer Stone's Harper Finkle in the new reboot.

Earlier this week (29 Oct), Wizards Beyond Waverly Place debuted on the Disney Channel to rave reviews. The series has been praised for capturing the energy of the original Wizards of Waverly Place. Not to mention, lead child actors Janice LeAnn Brown, Alkaio Thiele and Max Matenko have all charmed viewers with their incredible performances.

However, the series has also faced some backlash over the lack of original Wizards of Waverly Place stars in the cast. David Henrie is part of the main cast as an adult Justin Russo and Selena Gomez and David DeLuise both guest star as Alex Russo and Jerry Russo respectively but no other original cast members appear in the first nine episodes.

One person who's notably absent is Jennifer Stone and people have accused Disney of "replacing" her character.

• Read more: Wizards of Waverly Place fans think David Henrie just shaded Dan Benson's career

Is Harper in Wizards Beyond Waverly Place?

Meet the cast of Wizards Beyond Waverly Place

Why is Jennifer Stone not in Wizards Beyond Waverly Place?

In the original Wizards of Waverly Place, Harper was an integral part of the series. Not only was she Alex's best friend but she also had her own plot-lines including an unreciprocated crush on Justin. Outside of the show, Jennifer's also remained immersed in the Wizards world and even made a Wizards of Waverly Place podcast with David DeLuise.

As a result fans expected Harper to appear in some capacity in Wizards Beyond Waverly Place but she's yet to show up in the series. Meanwhile, Justin's wife Giada in the show is a redhead played brilliantly by Mimi Gianopulos. Due to character similarities, some people have questioned why Harper wasn't written as Justin's wife instead.

In a viral tweet, someone wrote: "Justin’s wife is literally just harper in a different font omg why would they do that."

Another added: "like he couldve just married harper. they couldve just gave her that win."

Talking about a potential reboot on the Wizards of Waverly Pod in 2023, Jennifer said: "All of the main cast, from my understanding, for the most part, wants to do a reunion. It's just a matter -- and this is what I tell everybody -- it's just a matter of having the right story to tell and timing."

As it stands, Disney are yet to explain Harper's absence from the series. Jennifer Stone is also yet to discuss it.

Bookmark this page and we'll update you if and when Disney or Jennifer say anything.

Read more from Capital Buzz here:

• Former Wizards of Waverly Place cast react to not knowing about sequel series
• Wizards Beyond Waverly Place release time: Here's when each episode comes out
• Percy Jackson season 2: Release date, cast, plot spoilers and news about the Disney+ show
• Wizards of Waverly Place’s Dan Benson blocked by David Henrie after criticising reboot premiere
• Disney's 'Descendants 4' includes emotional tribute to Cameron Boyce following his death

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