Here's why Jake T. Austin is not in Wizards Beyond Waverly Place (so far)

2 November 2024, 17:47 | Updated: 2 November 2024, 17:52

Here's why Jake T. Austin hasn't appeared in Wizards Beyond Waverly Place yet. Picture: Rodin Eckenroth/FilmMagic, Disney

By Katie Louise Smith

Jade previously teased that he would be appearing in Wizards Beyond Waverly Place. Here's why we haven't seen him yet.

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At long last, the Wizards of Waverly Place reboot is officially here – but why isn't Jake T. Austin in the show after he teased he would be returning? Here's what we know...

Wizards Beyond Waverly Place sees original cast members David Henrie and Selena Gomez return as Justin and Alex Russo. Selena only appears in the first episode of the new reboot, and the rest of the cast consists of new faces and brilliant young actors.

Nine episodes have been released so far with episode 10 set to air on November 22nd on the Disney Channel. The first season will have 21 episodes in total so there's still plenty more to come.

However, those hoping to see more characters from the original series in that first batch of episodes might be disappointed. Only one other OG cast member makes a cameo in the episodes that have been released.

So where's the rest of them? Here's why the likes of Jake T. Austin, Maria Canals-Barrera and more haven't popped up yet.

Is Jake T. Austin in Wizards Beyond Waverly Place?

Max is the only Russo sibling to have not appeared in the Wizards of Waverly Place reboot yet. Picture: Getty

Initially, only a pilot episode of Wizards Beyond Waverly Place was ordered before the full series was given the greenlight by Disney. At the time, only David and Selena (both executive producers) had confirmed their involvement.

Following questions and mounting backlash from fans of the original, David later confirmed that he plans on bringing more OG characters back. Responding to a fan who asked if the other members of the cast would be returning, David wrote: "We definitely plan on bringing back the original cast for the series order."

David DeLuise, who plays patriarch Jerry Russo, is the only original cast member outside of David and Selena that appears in the reboot so far. Jake's Max Russo and Maria's Theresa Russo have not appeared in the sequel series...yet.

With several more episodes still yet to be released, it's very likely that there's many more surprises in store.

Meet the cast of Wizards Beyond Waverly Place

What happens to Max Russo in the Wizards Beyond Waverly Place sequel?

In the first episode of the revival series, Max's absence is briefly addressed when Billie (Janice LeAnn Brown) asks if Justin is the billionaire sibling who owns all the sandwich shops. He replies: "Uh, no, that would be Max."

Turns out that while Alex and Justin kept their powers, Max inherited the Waverly Sub Station and ended up a literal billionaire.

Jake's Max is still very much active and known within the sequel's universe, and the actor has also expressed his interest in returning. Back in January 2024, Jake reposted a photo of David, Selena, David DeLuise and Maria Canals-Barrera alongside the caption: "Wow! Am looking forward to getting together with my Wizards family."

David nor Selena have confirmed anything just yet, but Selena has hinted that she's still in contact with Jake in a September 2024 Vanity Fair video.

If Jake's Max doesn't show up in the first season, perhaps we'll see him in a potential second season.

Will Jake T. Austin be in the Wizards reboot? Picture: Disney Channel

Why did Jake T. Austin step away from acting?

Following his role as Max Russo, Jake played Jesus Foster in The Fosters. He appeared in two seasons before stepping away from the show and away from acting altogether.

In a 2019 Flaunt magazine interview, Jake opened up about why he quit, explaining that he had fallen into "the trap of being in Hollywood." He added that he had ended up "running with the wrong crowd, making some bad choices and also not taking the work seriously.”

From 2016 to 2017, he returned to the industry to voice Jaime Reyes/Blue Beetle in a handful of Justice League and Teen Titans animations. Since then, he's only appeared in three other films – the latest being in 2020.