Wizards Beyond Waverly Place creators defend lack of original characters in reboot following criticism

5 November 2024, 12:20

Wizards Beyond Waverly Place creators explain why there aren't many original characters in the reboot. Picture: Disney, Eric McCandless/Disney Channel via Getty Images

By Sam Prance

Fans have criticised the reboot for excluding Wizards of Waverly Place characters like Harper Finkle and Max Russo.

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If you've watched Wizards Beyond Waverly Place on Disney+, chances are you might be wondering why there's only a few original Wizards of Waverly Place cast members in the show. Well, now the showrunners have explained why.

Picking up years after Wizards of Waverly Place ended, Wizards Beyond Waverly Place follows a young wizard called Billie who turns to Justin Russo to help train her. David Henrie reprises the role of Justin and there have also been guest appearances by Selena Gomez as Alex Russo and David DeLuise as Jerry Russo.

However, as it stands, beloved characters like Harper Finkle (Jennifer Stone) and Max Russo (Jake T. Austin) are still yet to appear in the show leading to some criticism from viewers. So where are they and will they appear in future episodes? Here's what showrunners Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas have said.

Read more: Why is Jennifer Stone not in Wizards Beyond Waverly Place? Her reboot absence explained

Will the Russo family reunite in Wizards Beyond Waverly Place?

Meet the cast of Wizards Beyond Waverly Place

In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas were asked if people can expect to see the entire Russo family back together in Wizards Beyond Waverly Place. Before the show premiered, David DeLuise (Jerry), Jake T. Austin (Max) and Maria Canals Barrera (Theresa) all hinted that they would be returning.

Hinting at what's still to come, Scott said: "The absolute hope is that throughout this season and into future seasons, we can bring back everyone at some point and have those great fan moments for fans of the old show."

However, Scott then explained why they've avoided including cameos from the original cast in the first nine episodes. He said: "It’s a little bit hard in the first season, because we’re trying to tell stories about the new kids, and we’re trying to forward their stories and establish them as the leads of the show."

Scott continued: "So we have to be kind of strategic about it."

The original cast of Wizards of Waverly Place. Picture: Alamy

Discussing the casting decision further, Scott added: "We have to sort of pepper in, like, “Who are we bringing back? When? What’s the episode? Does it make sense to bring them back from a story sense? Are we doing fan service, or is this really like the story that we need to tell in the limited amount of episodes we have this season?”

Echoing Scott's thoughts, Jed chimed in: "Doing it is great, but if it feels false, nobody’s going to appreciate it. So it is, like Scott said, a tightrope between between the original fans and trying to create the new show."

Scott ended by teasing: "But the hope is to have everyone pop in at some point."

Wizards Beyond Waverly Place will be 21 episodes long. As it stands, just nine episodes have aired. With 12 whole episodes still to go, there's plenty of time for fan faves like Max, Theresa and Harper all to pop up.