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See the full story · 1 sourcesOn The Red Carpet Selena Gomez 'crushed it' with directorial debut on 'Wizards Beyond' set, says co-star David Henrie "Wizards Beyond Waverly Place" stars David Henrie and Janice LeAnn Brown tease Selena Gomez's directorial debut
Back to where it all began! Selena Gomez returns to the final season of "Wizards," only this time, for her directorial debut! Hear what stars David Henrie and Janice LeAnn Brown had to say. Watch Aug. 4 on Disney Channel, next day on Disney+. Disney 19 years ago in 2007, the hit series "Wizards of Waverly Place" premiered on Disney Channel, effectively launching the career of superstar Selena Gomez. Now, the continuation series " Wizards Beyond Waverly Place " is coming to an end in an epic 4-part series finale.
After Billie (Janice LeAnn Brown) loses her mom (revealed to be Alex Russo, played by Gomez) at the end of Season 2 , the family must band together to find Billie's long-lost father and rescue her mother.
On The Red Carpet spoke with executive producer and star David Henrie, who plays Justin Russo, as well as Brown, about the finale.
"There's some spicy stuff, but there's some very meaningful stuff. Like, there's beautiful family moments that are so well acted. Selena, Janice, there's some beautiful moments, and I can't wait to see the reaction," Henrie tells us.
"This final chapter, it holds a lot, for sure. I think it holds a lot of questions. It holds lots of adventure, a lot of emotions, for sure. I mean, I myself was bawling like a baby," Brown reveals.
It was a milestone moment for Gomez, who both executive produces and guest stars on the series. She makes her directing debut with the premiere episode of the final season.
Henrie, who grew up acting alongside Gomez on the original "Wizards of Waverly Place," describes her work as a director. "Oh, she was so good. It was like, there was zero concern, and she crushed it. She knows the format so well"
Knowing what it takes on the acting side, Gomez "would always ask, I swear, like every 10 minutes, 'Do we need a break? Do we need a snack? Do we want water? Do we need fresh air?' Like it was just so sweet, like she was considerate of like, all of us," Brown explains.
Fans of the original can also look forward to the return of stars Jennifer Stone as Harper Finkle and Gregg Sulkin as Mason Greyback. Henrie says, "I remember my first table read. I was a little rusty." He wondered if the pair would be the same, and "they weren't at all. They just got up there and just knocked it right out of the park."
The "Wizards Beyond Waverly Place" 4-part finale event premieres Aug. 4 on Disney Channel and next day on Disney+.
Starring alongside Henrie and Brown are Alkaio Thiele as Roman Russo, Max Matenko as Milo Russo, Taylor Cora as Winter and Mimi Gianopulos as Giada Russo.
Additional guest cast includes Maria Canals-Barrera as Theresa Russo, Ramon Reed as Silas Evilini, Tobias Jelinek as Lord Morsus and Brandon Micheal Hall as Damien Penwulf.
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