Selena Gomez: ‘Wizards of Waverly Place’ Spinoff Felt Like ‘Home’

Selena Gomez is crossing her fingers that the upcoming Wizards of Waverly Place spinoff will be more than just a one-season wonder.

The 32-year-old actress recently spoke with Variety on Thursday, August 22, about her return to the beloved role of Alex Russo, sharing her excitement for the project.

“It felt like I was home again,” Gomez said, reflecting on the experience of stepping back into the world that made her a household name. She added, “I’m so happy I got to bring this childhood gift to a new generation.”

Wizards of Waverly Place followed Gomez’s Alex Russo, a teen wizard in New York City, and her brothers, Justin (David Henrie) and Max (Jake T. Austin), as they prepared for a future showdown where only one will claim their family’s powers. The show ran for four seasons from 2007 until 2012. For the spinoff, dubbed Wizards: Beyond Waverly Place, Gomez will reprise her role as Alex and she’s leaving the door open for a potential multi-season run.

“We don’t know, but if people like it, we’ll see,” Gomez shared.

Henrie, 35, who returns as Alex’s older brother Justin, also dished to Variety about the spinoff, revealing how it all came to be.

“Selena, my wife [Maria Cahill], and I spent years talking over wine about where our characters would be now,” Henrie recalled. “One day, we realized, ‘We have a show here. Let’s talk to Disney.’ It took years of development, but we finally got it to the right place.”

Gomez officially announced the spinoff during Disney’s 2024 upfront presentation in May, revealing its title: Wizards: Beyond Waverly Place. The new series follows an adult Justin, who has chosen a normal, mortal life with his family—wife Giada (Mimi Gianopulos) and their children Roman (Alkaio Thiele) and Milo (Max Matenko). But when Alex arrives with a young wizard-in-training named Billie (Janice LeAnn Brown), Justin finds himself back in the magical mix, balancing his responsibilities as a mentor with his everyday life.

As Gomez awaits to see the fans’ reception to the new show (a snippet was shared earlier this month), she can at least rest in knowing that her co-star approves of her boyfriend, Benny Blanco.

In an interview with E! News on August 22, Henrie raved about the music producer, 36, calling him a “super cool dude.” The actor also shared their first hangout, where Blanco impressed him with his takeout choices.

“He orders great Italian food,” Henrie said, laughing as he shared that Blanco introduced him to polenta bolognese, which Blanco jokingly called “adult baby food.”

Gomez and Blanco sparked dating rumors in July 2023. The pop star confirmed their relationship in December 2023 with a simple “Facts” comment via Instagram.