Jake T. Austin was just as “disappointed” as fans that his “Wizards of Waverly Place” character wasn’t included in the spinoff, revealing he had agreed to return when the idea was first floated.
The actor starred as Max Russo alongside Selena Gomez’s Alex Russo and David Henrie’s Justin Russo throughout all four seasons of the Disney Channel series from 2007 to 2012, but was notably absent from the sequel series, “Wizards Beyond Waverly Place,” which concluded its three-season run on Tuesday.
And, according to a statement shared by Austin on his Instagram Story Thursday, he was all set to join Gomez and Henrie for the spinoff before the show went “in a different direction.”
“To all the Wizards fans, just wanted to say for the record how disappointed I am to have not been included in the spinoff,” Austin wrote. “I was asked back in 2020 if I was interested in reprising my role and said that I was 100% in.”
He added: “Unfortunately, the powers that be decided to take the show in a different direction and my character wasn’t part of the equation. Even though I wasn’t involved, I still have nothing but love for my former castmates and wish them continued success. Thank you to all the fans who watched over the years. The show wouldn’t be what it is without your endless support.”
Austin is not the first “Wizards” alum to speak out about the spinoff and the number of original stars missing from the finale. David DeLuise, who played the teen wizards’ father and appeared in a handful of episodes of “Beyond Waverly Place,” commented on an Instagram post on Wednesday: “It would not be over if the OG wizards were really there. Missed opportunity.”
The four-part series finale saw the return of Gomez, Jennifer Stone, Gregg Sulkin and Maria Canals-Barrera. Henrie was also involved, which wasn’t surprising since he starred in and executive produced the spinoff.
“Wizards of Waverly Place” Todd J. Greenwald responded to the finale by writing on Substack Tuesday, “I will undo the entire ‘Beyond’ canon in one simple chapter. By simply ignoring it. ‘It was all Max’s dreammmmm.’ Fixed. Moving on.”
Greenwald later clarified that he had no qualms with the show’s stars, adding, “I would also like to make it clear. The actors on the new show are amazing. They’re amazing kids. They have amazing families and they’ve got great futures ahead. It is a blessing that they had this experience and can still be kids and have a great memory to look back on. I would work with any of them any day. This is the sixth tween show I’ve written on and I’ve seen how it affects the kids in different ways. Learning as you go and finding your voice in front of so many people is challenging enough in itself, let alone having to portray a character you know nothing about.”
Representatives for Disney did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.