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New Degrassi series put on hold after HBO Max pulls out

It looks like HBO Max’s remake of iconic Canadian series Degrassi is being put on hold following Warner Bros’ pulling out of the project.

WildBrain, the Vancouver-based producer of the series, says that the Canadian high school drama has been put on pause while it considers its options. The reboot was expected to feature a 10-episode first season and release in Spring 2023. Riverdale showrunner Julia Cohen and Mary Kills People showrunner Lara Azzopardi were planned to helm the new Degrassi series.

Despite offering no further information, Wildbrain said that it’s committed to the future of Degrassi and that “discussions concerning the contract with WarnerMedia are ongoing.”

The update comes after the Warner Bros-Discovery merger, which resulted in new CEO David Zaslav laying off hundreds in an effort to reduce costs. Other projects, including the almost-finished Batgirl, Wonder Twins, Aquaman: King of Atlantis, Genera+ion and 12 Dates of Christmas, have also been cancelled.

If the Degrassi series does end up moving forward, it will likely arrive on Bell-owned Crave, given the telecom giant holds the license for HBO content in Canada.

Image credit: WildBrain

Via: Canadian Press (CP24)

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HBO Max drops an official House of the Dragon trailer

A new House of the Dragon trailer gives us a better look at the Game of Thrones prequel series. The series is scheduled to premiere on August 21st on Crave.

So far, we’ve only gotten teaser trailers, so this is our first official trailer longer than two minutes.

Reportedly, HBO has put a lot into the show, and it carries s a budget of more than $15 million per episode. House of the Dragon was co-created by Martin and Condal. Condal is the co-showrunner alongside GoT veteran Miguel Sapochnik, who will direct the pilot and other episodes.

House of the Dragon stars Paddy Considine, Olivia Cooke, Matt Smith, Emma D’Arcy and Fabien Frankel. Rhys Ifans, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best and Sonoya Mizuno also feature.

The series is set to air around 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones and tells the story of the House of Targaryen.

HBO is also working on other spin-off Game of Thrones series, even one titled Snow, focused on Jon Snow from the main series.

Source: HBO Max

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New Degrassi streaming series to film in Toronto this summer, release in 2023

Degrassi is officially coming back.

A reboot of the beloved Canadian teen drama series has been greenlit by Warner Media for its HBO Max streaming service.

The currently untitled Degrassi series will shoot in Toronto this summer ahead of a planned 2023 premiere. Canadian production company WildBrain, which owns the Degrassi property, is producing the new series. Lara Azzopardi (Mary Kills People) and Julia Cohen (Riverdale) will serve as showrunners.

Plot and casting details have yet to be confirmed, although Warner Media notes that the reboot will run for 10 one-hour episodes and offer a darker spin on the classic Toronto-set high school saga.

However, the biggest question mark surrounds where the series will actually stream in Canada.

“We don’t have news to share at this time, but we look forward to making additional announcements down the road about availability of the new series in Canada and other territories,” WildBrain spokesperson Shaun Smith told The Canadian Press.

It’s a testament to how frustratingly messy the Canadian streaming scape is that Canadians have to play the guessing game even with a wholly Canadian property like Degrassi, which has been around for over 40 years.

It should be noted that, as is usually the case with Canadian streaming rights, there are multiple feasible platforms that the new Degrassi show could land on. As The Globe and Mail‘s film critic Barry Hertz noted on Twitter, Crave would perhaps be the most logical assumption, given how a lot of other HBO Max content arrives there.

That said, David Friend, The Canadian Press entertainment reporter who got the original statement from WildBrain, said it’s “quite likely” the Degrassi series won’t hit Crave. That’s because it’s a Warner Media Kids production, the programming of which has traditionally landed elsewhere, like traditional TV networks. For example, WildBrain owns The Family Channel, so that’s a possible Canadian destination.

All four seasons of the most recent Degrassi series, 2016’s Next Class, are streaming on Netflix Canada.

Source: WildBrain