David Henrie and Selena Gomez’s ‘Goal’ Was to ‘Recreate’ the Sense of ‘Family’ on ‘Wizards’ Reboot (Exclusive)

David Henrie and Selena Gomez had one non-negotiable when it came to finding a new cast for Wizards Beyond Waverly Place.

While showing PEOPLE around the set of the Disney Channel reboot, Henrie reflected on all of the memories he made while filming the original Wizards of Waverly Place series with his former costars from 2007 to 2012.

Over the years, the cast had become a family, and when he and Gomez got the reboot green-lit after pitching it “three, four years ago,” their biggest hope was to recreate that sense of community with a brand new group of young actors.

“Our cast is so wonderful,” he says of his new costars. “We feel like a season 3 show [where] everyone’s comfortable. There’s a loving atmosphere, it’s a great culture on set. And that’s what I think made the original show special was we were a family on camera and off camera.”

From “day one,” Henrie explains, “it was my goal and Selena’s goal from day one to recreate that culture first and foremost in the workplace where everyone can feel like family.”

“There’s an atmosphere of love, encouragement and we did that. And I think you’re going to feel that on screen,” he adds.

According to an official synopsis, the series “picks up after a mysterious incident at WizTech, where an adult Justin Russo has left his wizard powers behind, opting for a normal, human life with his wife and two sons. But he gets a surprise when a powerful young wizard in need of training shows up at his door… and Justin must embrace his past to ensure the future of the Wizard World.”

The series will also welcome new stars Janice LeAnn Brown as the powerful, young wizard Billie, Alkaio Thiele as Justin’s eldest son Roman, Max Matenko as Justin’s youngest son Milo and Mimi Gianopulos as Justin’s wife Giada.

In a conversation with PEOPLE, Thiele also shared how Henrie made him and the other child actors feel welcomed.

“He made it clear that we belong here,” he recalls. “This is our home, we’re safe here. And even if you make a mistake, we’re all family. And if you make a mistake in the family, that’s okay and you can just try again.”

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Wizards Beyond Waverly Place premieres Tuesday, Oct. 29 at 8 p.m. ET on Disney Channel and will be available to stream on Disney+.