Selena Gomez to Executive Produce & Guest Star in Disney’s “Wizards of Waverly Place” Sequel

Posted on January 18, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Selena Gomez is heading back to the place it all started…

One of Disney’s signature comedies, Wizards of Waverly Place, which helped turn the 31-year-old Mexican American actress/singer into a household name, is getting a sequel.

Disney Branded Television has ordered a pilot for the follow-up, which is executive produced by original stars Gomez and her small screen sibling David Henrie.

Gomez will guest star in the pilot for Disney Channel as the character that helped launch her career, Alex Russo, with Henrie reprising the role of Justin Russo as a series regular.

They’ll be joined by new cast members Janice LeAnn Brown, Alkaio Thiele and Mimi Gianopulos.

The revival pilot comes from writers and executive producers Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas who are behind another Disney Channel comedy spinoff, Raven’s Home.

It picks up after a mysterious incident at WizTech, where an adult Justin Russo has left his wizard powers behind, opting for a normal, human life with his wife and two sons. But he gets a surprise when a powerful young wizard in need of training shows up at his door… and Justin must embrace his past to ensure the future of the Wizard World.

The powerful young wizard Billie, whom Justin takes under his wing, will be portrayed by series lead Brown. Thiele will play Roman Russo, Justin’s oldest son; Gianopulos will play Justin’s wife, Giada.

In addition to Gomez, Henrie, Elinoff and Thomas, Gary Marsh and Andy Fickman will also executive produce, with Fickman directing.

Marsh was the former longtime top Disney Channel creative executive who was the driving force behind Wizards of Waverly Place and was instrumental in getting Gomez on the network after she was discovered during an open casting call in Dallas.

Created by Todd J. Greenwald, the original series, which ran from 2007-2012, followed the Russo family, where three siblings navigated the challenges of adolescence while mastering their magical abilities. The cast also included Jake T. Austin, Jennifer Stone, Maria Canals-Barrera and David DeLuise, all of whom (minus Henrie), reunited for the TV special The Wizards Return: Alex Vs. Alex in 2013.

The pilot order caps years of online chatter about a potential Wizards Of Waverly Place revival or reboot. It also fits into Disney Branded Television’s strategy of beefing up Disney Channel’s lineup of multi-camera sitcoms.

Gomez is currently in the Disney family as a star and executive producer of the hit Hulu/20th Television comedy series Only Murders In the Building.

Trailer Released for Kevin James’ “Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2,” Co-Starring Verastegui

Posted on November 13, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Eduardo Verastegui is Wynning in his latest role…

The first official trailer has been released for Kevin James’ Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2, with the 40-year-old Mexican actor appearing in the sequel to the 2009 film.

Filmed at the Wynn Las Vegas, the film sees James’ title character pratfalling, getting hit by cars, punching old ladies and getting his clocked cleaned by a large featured beast.

This time he’s in Las Vegas for a Security Guard Expo with his teenage daughter (Raini Rodriguez) before she leaves for college. He happens upon a casino heist, and the hijinks ensue

Verastegui portrays Eduardo in the film, which also stars Daniella Alonso, David Henrie, Neal McDonough and Loni Love.

The sequel was directed by Andy Fickman from a script by James and Nick Bakay.

Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 will open in theaters on April 17.

Open Road Films to Release Verastegui’s “Little Boy” Next February

Posted on July 2, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Eduardo Verastegui will be performing the duties of a man of the cloth early next year.

Open Road Films has set a February 27, 2015 release date for Little Boy, the inspirational family film starring the 40-year-old Mexican actor-model-singer as Fr. Crispin.

Directed by Mexican filmmaker Alejandro Monteverde and executive produced by Roma Downey and Mark Burnett, the film centers on a 7-year-old boy willing to do whatever it takes to end World War II so he can bring his father home.

In addition to Versategui, the film also stars Emily Watson, Tom Wilkinson, Kevin James, Ben Chaplin, Michael Rapaport, Cary Tagawa, Ted Levine, David Henrie and Jakob Salvati.

Pepe Portillo and Monteverde wrote the script.

Open Road Films acquired the U.S. distribution rights to the film last month.

Open Road Films to Distribute “Little Boy,” Starring Verastegui,” in the U.S.

Posted on June 20, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Eduardo Verástegui‘s latest little project will be heading to American theaters…

Open Road Films has acquired the U.S. distribution rights to Little Boy, a new family film featuring the 40-year-old Mexican actor-model-singer as Fr. Crispin.

Executive produced by Roma Downey and Mark Burnett, the film stars Emily Watson and Tom Wilkinson and centers on a 7-year-old boy who is willing to do whatever it takes to end World War II and bring his father home.

In addition to Verástegui, Watson and Wilkinson, the cast also includes David Henrie, Kevin James, Ben Chaplin, Michael Rapaport, Cary Tagawa, Ted Levine and 7-year-old newcomer Jakob Salvati.

It was directed by Mexican filmmaker Alejandro Monteverde and written by Pepe Portillo and Monteverde.

“Little Boy is a truly uplifting movie that resonates with family audiences, and we are thrilled to add it to our slate,” Open Road CEO Tom Ortenberg said as he made the announcement with Burnett.

Verastegui, who will soon appear in Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2, earned a Grace Award in 2008 for Most Inspirational Movie Acting for his role in the critically acclaimed film Bella.

Alonso to Star Opposite Kevin James in “Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2”

Posted on April 9, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Daniella Alonso is about to find her love match on the big screen…

The 34-year-old half-Puerto Rican and part-Peruvian actress has been cast as Kevin James’ love interest in Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2, according to TheWrap.

The Andy Fickman-directed sequel finds Blart attending a Security Guard Expo in Las Vegas, where he takes on a group of dangerous art thieves.

Alonso will portray Divina Martinez, the general manager of the Wynn Hotel, who is completely perplexed when Blart presumes that she’s hitting on him. Flustered yet determined to clarify the situation, she reaches out to Blart several times, only to reinforce his original theory.

In addition to James and Alonso, Eduardo Verastegui, Selena Gomez’s Wizards of Waverly Place co-star David Henrie and Raini Rodriguez.

Alonso, who next stars on NBC‘s upcoming summer series The Night Shift, recently played fan favorite Nora Clayton on the network’s hit series Revolution.

Verastegui to Star in Kevin James’ Comedy “Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2”

Posted on February 24, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Eduardo Verastegui is heading to Sin City for his latest project…

The 39-year-old Mexican actor has signed on to star in Kevin James’ Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2.

The sequel to the hit comedy will see James’ title character attending a security guard expo in Las Vegas with his daughter, where he’s mocked by casino security until he helps them take on a group of dangerous art thieves.

Verastegui, a former telenovela star in his native Mexico, will portray a Vegas hotelier whose hotel becomes a heist target.

In addition to James and Verastegui, the sequel will also star Selena Gomez’s Wizards of Waverly Place co-star David Henrie as Lane, a charming valet attendant whom Blart’s daughter Maya develops a crush on.

Meantime, Raini Rodriguez is in negotiations to reprise her role as Maya and Molly Shannon is in talks to co-star.

Nicholas Turturro has been cast as one of Blart’s security guard rivals. And James’ brother, comedian Gary ValenVerastegui tine, is set to play a sympathetic fellow security guard.

Andy Fickman is directing Mall Cop 2 from a script by James and Nick Bakay, who wrote the first film.

Gomez’s “The Wizards Return: Alex vs. Alex” Trailer Released

Posted on January 30, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a battle of good vs. evil when Selena Gomez returns to Waverly Place…

The Disney Channel has released the official trailer for the Wizards of Waverly Place movie special featuring the 20-year-old half-Mexican American actress/singer battling herself.

Gomez returns as Alex Russo in the highly anticipated television event, “The Wizards Return: Alex vs. Alex” — a movie based on the Disney Channel’s popular series — and she’s facing her “biggest battle yet,” the trailer teases: Herself.

The Alex vs. Alex trailer informs fans that since winning the family wizard competition, Alex has struggled to use magic for good, so she decides to use magic to remove “just the parts that nobody likes” from herself.

Despite her father’s warning that “magic is not for getting what you want or using it for selfish reasons,” Alex accidentally conjures up two versions of herself: Good Alex and Evil Alex.

Alex vs. Alex sees Alex’s younger brother Max (Jake T. Austin), mom Theresa (Maria Canals-Barrera), dad Jerry (David DeLuise), best friend Harper (Jennifer Stone) and boyfriend-cum-werewolf Mason (Gregg Sulkin) travel to Tuscany to meet the Russo’s long-lost relatives. Though David Henrie will not be back as Alex’s older brother Justin for Alex vs. Alex, Beau Mirchoff of MTV’s Awkward fame joins the cast as an evil sorcerer.

The Wizards Return: Alex vs. Alex will premier on the Disney Channel on Friday, March 15 at 8 p.m. EST.

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