{
  "id": 283895,
  "title": "Jake T. Austin Says He Wasn’t Invited to Partake in ‘Wizards of Waverly Place’ Revival: “Disappointed”",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/07/jake-t-austin-says-he-wasnt-invited-to-partake-in-wizards-of-waverly",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-07T22:51:20.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Hollywood Reporter",
    "slug": "the-hollywood-reporter",
    "url": "https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/jake-t-austin-wizards-of-waverly-place-revival-1236669268/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "Jake T. Austin expressed disappointment that he was not included in the \"Wizards of Waverly Place\" spinoff, \"Wizards Beyond Waverly Place\". According to Deadline, he played Max Russo, the younger brother of Justin and Alex Russo, in the original Disney Channel series.\n\nIn an Instagram story, Austin stated that he was asked in 2020 if he was interested in reprising his role and said he was \"100% in\". However, he was told that the show was taking a different direction and his character was not part of the equation, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter and TVLine.\n\nDavid Henrie, who played Justin Russo and was an executive producer on the reboot, told TVLine that he would have loved to have had Jake on the show. Austin has expressed love for his former castmates and gratitude to fans for their support.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "TheWrap",
        "title": "‘Disappointed’ Jake T. Austin Explains ‘Wizards of Waverly Place’ Spinoff Snub",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/07/disappointed-jake-t-austin-explains-wizards-of-waverly-place-spinoff",
        "published": "2026-08-07T03:19:25.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "TVLine",
        "title": "Why Jake T. Austin Didn't Return For Wizards Beyond Waverly Place: 'We Tried To Get Him,' Says David Henrie",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/07/why-jake-t-austin-didnt-return-for-wizards-beyond-waverly-place-we",
        "published": "2026-08-07T15:42:53.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}