Wizards Beyond Waverly Place star David Henrie offered an update on the Disney series' Season 3 renewal chances. Over a decade after Wizards of Waverly Place wrapped up on Disney Channel, original stars Justin Henrie and Selena Gomez returned to that world this year in Wizards Beyond Waverly Place. The two seasons of the revival are now streaming on Disney+, bringing back Henrie's Justin Russo to lead a new, younger cast of Wizards characters, with Selena Gomez's Alex Russo also turning up from time to time.
In the wake of Wizards Beyond Waverly Place's shocking Season 2 cliffhanger, executive producer and Justin Russo actor David Henrie spoke to Decider and addressed the likelihood that the Disney revival will return for Season 2.
The Season 2 finale, "The Wizard at the End of the World," dramatically revealed that Janice LeAnn's Billie is actually Alex Russo's daughter. Beyond just that, the show left the fate of Gomez's iconic character uncertain as she threw herself through a portal to defeat the evil wizard Lord Morsus, Billie's grandfather.
When asked if he is hopeful for Beyond Waverly Place to continue for many more seasons, Henrie proclaimed that he and Selena Gomez want to "do this show as long as [they] possibly can" due to the nature of its family themes:
"Absolutely, yes. Amen. Selena and I basically, I think from day one, want to do this show as long as we possibly can because the story never gets old. Representing family themes in new ways never gets old. And we’ll do it as long as people keep watching."
Henrie seemed to tease Wizards Beyond Waverly Place's future in a post on X after the finale, hinting that "there's a lot more to come" and the team has got "some magical surprises up [their] sleeves."
In a pre-finale interview with Deadline, Henrie proclaimed Beyond Waverly Place's Season 2 ending as "the biggest cliffhanger the Wizards universe has ever known," which leaves "very big" questions to be answered in Season 3:
"We end this season on the biggest cliffhanger the wizards universe has ever known. So what energizes me is to explore the questions that we provoke at the end of the season — very big ones, some questions that really speak to the overarching lore of the show, especially Selena’s character."
Henrie even seemed to be talking about Season 3 as if it was already a done deal, noting that he is "really excited to explore those thoughts and ideas" relating to the show's overarching lore "into this next season:"
"So I’m really excited to explore those thoughts and ideas into this next season, because [in] Season 3, [we] are really going to lean into the questions of identity, belonging, legacy, universal questions that will really come to the forefront at the end of the season, which I can’t wait for people to see."
Notably, Wizards Beyond Waverly Place didn't get its Season 2 renewal until March 31, one month after Season 1 concluded on February 28, before episodes began airing under six months later on September 12.
If Beyond Waverly Place is renewed for Season 3, as seems extremely likely at this time, and follows a similar production schedule to Season 2, fans could look forward to seeing it back on screens during Spring 2026.
Jake T. Austin's Max Could Return for Wizards Beyond Waverly Place Season 3
Speaking on the Zach Sang Show, David Henrie was asked about his on-screen Wizards brother, Jake T. Austin, who played Max Russo in the original series but has yet to return in Beyond Waverly Place, unlike Gomez and Henrie's characters.
The actor noted he still talks to Austin "every so often" and that, after Wizards of Waverly Place ended in 2012, "everyone kind of went their separate ways:"
"I mean, look, you know, we all the show ended and everyone kind of went their separate ways. You know, a show is like a high school or college. Like movies are that way, too. You spend so much time together. You get to know people so well and then you go your separate ways. He lives in a different part of the United States."
When the interviewer noted they are "worried" about Austin, who remains absent from the show, Henrie declared that he wants "the absolute freaking best for him" and to get him involved in the ongoing revival show:
"I honestly don't know Jake well enough now to know what to think. I saw he like deleted his Instagram or something or there was like all the pictures were taken off. So… but I don't know. I love that man. I spent so much time together with him. I want the absolute freaking best for him. I want him back on the show. Like, I'd love to get him back on the show."
The Wizards veteran noted that he has told Austin they are eager for him to return as Max, noting that he would "love to get him back on next season:"
"I’ve let him know we want it to happen and I think next season if we continue, if that continues to work out well, hell yeah, we'd get him back on. That's the hope. That's the hope. I'd love to get him back on next season."
If Austin were to reprise Max in Wizards Beyond Waverly Place's potential third season, fans could be in for a long-awaited Russo sibling reunion, especially after it was suggested that Selena Gomez's Alex may not be dead after all.
Despite leaving Wizards of Waverly Place as the only non-wizard, it seems things aren't going so bad for sandwich shop owner Max. Having taken over the family business, a conversation between Billie and Justin in Beyond Waverly Place revealed that Max is now a "billionaire" with a chain of sandwich shops.
Previously, Jake T. Austin stated in an Instagram comment section (via Reddit) that "Max didn't get the invite" to return in Beyond Waverly Place Seasons 1 and 2, so fans can only hope that Henrie sticks to his word to bring him back.
