Former Wizards of Waverly Place cast react to not knowing about sequel series

19 January 2024, 13:17

David Henrie confirms Wizards of Waverly Place sequel is in the works

By Katie Louise Smith

David DeLuise and Dan Benson have shared their reaction to the Wizards sequel series news.

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Did you hear the news? Wizards of Waverly Place is officially returning to our screens with Selena Gomez and David Henrie back as Alex and Justin Russo.

Yesterday (Jan 19), news broke that a Wizards revival had been ordered at the Disney Channel, with a pilot episode set to be filmed before the network confirms a full series.

Selena and David will reprise their iconic roles in the pilot. If the show is picked up to series, David will be a series regular and the show will revolve around Justin and his family. So far, Selena has only been confirmed to appear in the pilot in a guest star capacity.

The news sent the internet into meltdown, with fans losing their minds over the whole surprise whole. And it seems like some former Wizards cast members had no idea about it either.

Wizards of Waverly Place stars Dan Benson and David DeLuise react to surprise sequel series news. Picture: Disney Channel, @danielbenson via Instagram

David DeLuise, who played Jerry Russo in the original series and who now hosts the 'Wizards of Waverly Pod' with Jennifer Stone, commented on David Henrie's Instagram announcement, asking: "Reboot?"

As a result, many fans have taken that to mean he had no idea that a revival was in the works. "You better be in it!" one fan responded, while another added: "THERES NO WAY WE'LL WATCH IT IF YOU AND JENNIFER AREN'T INVOLVED."

David actually liked David's comment, so there's hope that Jerry Russo will make an appearance if the show gets picked up.

Wizards of Waverly Place's David DeLuise reacts to reboot news. Picture: via Instagram

Similarly, Dan Benson, who played Justin's best friend Zeke on the show, shared a TikTok of himself reacting the news. In case you didn't know, Dan recently moved away from acting and started a career in adult entertainment.

"Are you kidding me? Today they just announced they're bringing back Wizards of Waverly Place in a sequel..." he said. "I mean, one, Yo! That's hype! But oh boy, what have I done?"

Laughing, he continues: "I waited like 13 years! Just waiting around, now, 'Okay here we go, let's fire it up!' As soon as Dan becomes a porn star, let's reboot Wizards again! You guys suck! I'm just kidding."

Touching on the fact that he hasn't been informed about it, Dan then pondered what might happen to Zeke's character: "Do they just act like he doesn't exist? Do they recast him? Oh my God, is there going to be someone else playing–– No. No!"

Dan Benson reacts to not knowing about Wizards of Waverly Place reboot

In response to calls from fans asking to bring back former cast members for the full series, David Henrie responded on Instagram confirming that that is the plan.

"We definitely plan on bringing back the original cast for the series order," he wrote.

So far, Selena and David are the only original cast members who have been announced. Janice LeAnn Brown, Alkaio Thiele and Mimi Gianopulos will also appear in the pilot episode.

It sounds like fans will have to wait until the pilot is filmed before more news about a full season order and which former cast members will return is revealed.