Selena Gomez to direct episode of Wizards Beyond Waverly Place

Selena Gomez is to make her directorial debut with an episode of Wizards Beyond Waverly Place.

On Thursday, producers at the Disney Channel announced that the actress-singer will helm the premiere instalment of the upcoming third and final season of the show.

The four-part event will go into production next week.

In addition, Selena will reprise her role as Alex Russo in multiple episodes.

The Only Murders in the Building star originally played the character on the sitcom Wizards of Waverly Place for four seasons, from October 2007 to January 2012.

A sequel series, Wizards Beyond Waverly Place, in which David Henrie once again plays the part of Justin Russo, premiered in October 2024. A second season dropped the following year.

The series also features Janice LeAnn Brown as Billie, Alkaio Thiele as Roman Russo, and Max Matenko as Milo Russo.

"In the four-part event, Billie (Janice LeAnn Brown) - still reeling from losing Alex (Selena) at the end of Season 2 - discovers that the only way to rescue her mother is to reunite with her long-lost father," a synopsis reads. "As her family bands together to find Alex, Billie realises that their combined power is the only way the Russos can defeat the evil plaguing them."

Selena, 33, has not yet commented on the decision to branch out into directing.

However, she did re-share the trailer for the upcoming season via her Instagram Stories.