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

4 November 2024, 16:12 | Updated: 20 December 2024, 17:09

Will Jennifer Stone be in the Wizards reboot as Harper Finkle? Picture: Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images for Scale Management, Disney

By Katie Louise Smith

Will Harper Finkle be in the Wizards Beyond Waverly Place reboot? Jennifer Stone hasn't hinted at her return just yet...

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Wizards of Waverly Place is back in the form of a brand new reboot-slash-sequel series titled Wizards Beyond Waverly Place and so far, we've seen three original cast members reprise their OG characters.

David Henrie and Selena Gomez, who also executive produce the series, return as Justin and Alex Russo, with David DeLuise popping up as patriarch Jerry Russo in episode 7. There's already been hints that Jake T. Austin and Maria Canals-Barrera will return as Max and Theresa Russo but what about Jennifer Stone's Harper Finkle?

Jennifer's Harper was a key part of the OG series as Alex's mortal best friend. But since the reboot was announced, there's been no solid teases or hints that Harper will appear in the new sequel.

Jennifer, who hosts the Wizards of Waverly Place podcast with David DeLuise, has previously expressed her interest in appearing on the show, but there may be a reason why we haven't seen her...yet.

Will Jennifer Stone return as Harper Finkle in Wizards Beyond Waverly Place?

Wizards of Waverly Place's Jennifer Stone has not confirmed her return to the reboot. Picture: Getty

When the Wizards sequel series was first announced, Disney had initially only ordered a pilot episode. News quickly spread as David and Selena were confirmed to return, and questions started mounting from fans who wanted to know whether any other original characters would be back.

Responding to a fan, David later confirmed: "We definitely plan on bringing back the original cast for the series order."

Thankfully, the reboot was picked up to series and it will now consist of 21 episodes. So far, only nine episodes have been released so there's still plenty of time for Jennifer – as well as other beloved OG cast members – to make a cameo appearance.

However, it's still unclear if Jennifer will actually appear on the show as she hasn't even hinted at anything regarding her return. She was also not in attendance at the recent premiere.

She has, however, liked an Instagram comment from a fan who mentioned the reboot under one of her recent posts.

Jennifer Stone reacts to fan comment about Wizard Beyond Waverly Place reboot. Picture: Instagram

On her recent Instagram post shared 3 days ago, Jennifer liked a comment from a fan who wrote: "U deserve to be on Wizards....YOU brought that podcast to life which I KNOW was a big factor in Disney bringing back the show. Happy ur keeping ur cool be we all freakin out for u! [sic]"

Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean that she hasn't been asked to be in it, but it has made fans question how she feels about the whole thing.

While speaking on the Wizards podcast with David DeLuise, the duo both previously expressed how much they'd love to return.

"The thing is, yes, of course we want to do it,” David explained, prior to Wizards Beyond being announced. "It would be silly not to do some kind of reboot thing, and as far as I know, Selena wants to do it."

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Jennifer then added: "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. ‘Cause honestly, I was not kidding when I said coordinating all of us together for dinner is hard enough, much less coordinating to get us together for like a week, two weeks, to shoot a reunion. So, when we have the right story and the right timing, yes."

Speaking of timing, that could also be a factor as to why Jennifer hasn't shared any hints yet. Jennifer is no longer a full-time actor. In 2019, she actually stopped acting after graduating from nursing school and she now works as a nurse.

Another possible reason why Harper hasn't appeared yet could be due to the fact that she was primarily involved in Alex's storylines. Selena only appeared in a guest capacity in the pilot episode and it's unclear if she'll be back.

Here's hoping we get to see Harper in the reboot soon... if not in the first season, hopefully in a potential second season.