[Via Disney Channel Press Release...]
Selena Gomez returns to executive-produce and star in one of Disney
Channel's most successful series ever in the television event "The
Wizards Return: Alex vs Alex," premiering FRIDAY, MARCH 15 (8:00 p.m.,
ET/PT) on Disney Channel. Starring Gomez, Jake T. Austin, Jennifer
Stone, Maria Canals-Barrera, David DeLuise, Gregg Sulkin and Beau
Mirchoff, the special is based on the multiple Emmy Award-winning Disney
Channel original series "Wizards of Waverly Place," which, during its
series run was TV's #1 series across Kids 2-11, Kids 6-11 and Tweens
9-14.
In "The Wizards Return: Alex vs Alex," the Russo family and friends
travel to Tuscany, Italy, to meet their long lost relatives... but when
Alex (Gomez) tries to prove she's more than a seemingly carefree young
Wizard, she inadvertently conjures a spell that creates a Good Alex and
an Evil Alex. When Evil Alex gets roped into a charming young wizard's
foreboding plan to take over the world, Good Alex must find a way to
save her family and humankind, which leads to a monumental battle
between the two versions of herself - all atop the Tower of Pisa.
To hone their magical skills, viewers can visit disneychannel.com/wizards
which will feature a host of activities, including an enchanted Italian
card game with a Russo twist, and a sweepstakes competition where
viewers can enter to win fun prizes used during the making of "The
Wizards Return: Alex vs Alex."
The multi-platform schedule is as follows:
FRIDAY, MARCH 8
* Preview of "The Wizards Return: Alex vs Alex," available via Disney
Channel On Demand, a video-on-demand service available to a variety of
major affiliates including AT&T, Cablevision and Time Warner
customers
FRIDAY, MARCH 15
* Disney Channel premiere of "The Wizards Return: Alex vs Alex"
TUESDAY, MARCH 19
* Download of "The Wizards Return: Alex vs Alex" available on iTunes
"The Wizards Return: Alex vs Alex" was written by Vince Cheung and Ben
Montanio ("Wizards of Waverly Place") and Dan Berendsen (ABC Family's
"Baby Daddy"). Selena Gomez, Cheung and Montanio and Dan Cross and David
Hoge are the executive producers. It was directed by Victor Gonzalez
("Wizards of Waverly Place"). "Wizards of Waverly Place" was created by
Todd J. Greenwald ("Hannah Montana") and is a production of It's a Laugh
Productions for Disney Channel.
"Wizards of Waverly Place" inspired "Wizards of Waverly Place The
Movie," which delivered 13.5 million Total Viewers, ranked as the #1
cable television movie of 2009 and is the #2 cable TV movie of all time
(after "High School Musical 2"). The "Wizards of Waverly Place" series
finale in January 2012 was the #1 cable TV telecast -- among all kids'
programming -- in Total Viewers (11.3 million), and is TV's #1 scripted
telecast among Kids 2-11, Kids 6-11 and Tweens 9-14, 2012 to-date.
Disney Channel is a 24-hour kid-driven, family inclusive television
network that taps into the world of kids and families through original
series and movies. Currently available on basic cable in over 99 million
U.S. homes and to millions of other viewers on Disney Channels around
the world, Disney Channel is part of the Disney/ABC Television Group.