New Max Original Series Degrassi is Produced by
WildBrain with Showrunners Lara Azzopardi and Julia Cohen to Debut in 2023
BURBANK, Calif. and
TORONTO, Jan. 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - School is back in
session at HBO Max as WarnerMedia Kids & Family
announced today it has greenlit Degrassi, a brand-new
version of WildBrain's award-winning youth franchise of the
same name. The new teen and family series helmed by showrunners
Lara Azzopardi (Backstage, The
Bold Type, Mary Kills People) and Julia
Cohen (Riverdale, A
Million Little Things, The Royals) will include 10 hour-long
episodes and is expected to launch in the US exclusively on HBO Max
in 2023. Additionally, HBO Max has picked up the U.S. rights for
the entire 14-season library of the franchise's longest running and
most popular installment, Degrassi: The Next Generation
which will become available on the platform this spring.
Degrassi will also become available at a later date on
Cartoon Network.
![School is back in session at HBO Max as WarnerMedia Kids & Family announced today it has greenlit DEGRASSI, a brand-new version of WildBrain’s award-winning youth franchise of the same name. (CNW Group/WildBrain Ltd.) School is back in session at HBO Max as WarnerMedia Kids & Family announced today it has greenlit DEGRASSI, a brand-new version of WildBrain’s award-winning youth franchise of the same name. (CNW Group/WildBrain Ltd.)](https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1726210/WildBrain_Ltd__WarnerMedia_Kids___Family_Greenlights_new_Degrass.jpg)
A reprise of the original teen drama, Degrassi is a
character-driven series about the high school experience and the
thrilling, often painful journey of self-discovery. Set in
Toronto, the new series explores a
group of teenagers and school faculty living in the shadow of
events that both bind them together and tear them apart. The show
travels deep into the hearts and homes of diverse, complicated
characters, as they struggle to find their new normal, reaching for
hope, redemption and love.
"Series after series, the Degrassi franchise continues to make
an indelible impact on young viewers looking for trustworthy and
authentic storytelling," said Amy
Friedman, Head of Kids & Family Programming, Warner
Bros. "WildBrain continues to artfully capture high school life
in a compelling format that can be experienced seamlessly on HBO
Max."
Eric Ellenbogen, CEO of
WildBrain, said: "I'm delighted that our first-ever commission
from HBO Max is for Degrassi, a truly venerable franchise with a
highly devoted and passionate audience. This is yet another
evergreen property from our vast IP library that we are reviving
with a fresh vision and creative-first approach."
Josh
Scherba, President of WildBrain, said: "Now
in its fourth decade, Degrassi is one of those beloved evergreen
properties that demands to be refreshed for each new generation.
Stephanie Betts, our Chief Content
Officer, along with showrunners, Lara
Azzopardi and Julia Cohen,
have envisioned an evolution for Degrassi that, while staying
true to the fundamental honesty, humanity and integrity of the
brand, promises fans a journey into exciting new territory, both
creatively and dramatically. We're delighted to be partnering with
HBO Max to deliver this new vision to fans and extend Degrassi's
legacy."
Azzopardi and Cohen said: "What excites
us maybe the most about reviving this beloved franchise is turning
it into a truly serialized one-hour drama. We're honored to be
given the opportunity to lead this evolution and bring this iconic
series back into people's homes."
Degrassi will be produced by WildBrain Studios and
developed by Azzopardi and Cohen who also serve as executive
producers. Filming will take place in Toronto during summer 2022. The series and
Degrassi library are distributed worldwide by WildBrain.
Lara Azzopardi is a
multi-nominated writer, producer and director. Her credits include
the critically acclaimed show The Bold Type for Freeform and
Hulu, plus 911, Mary Kills People and The LA
Complex, among others. She created and show ran the
CSA-nominated youth drama Backstage, for Family Channel and
Disney Channel – which included 60 half-hour episodes. Azzopardi
started her career in the Toronto
theatre scene. She is a graduate of the Warner Bros. Television
Writers' Workshop, is Canadian/Maltese and a proud mother of three
girls, all living in Los Angeles.
Azzopardi is represented by 3 Arts Entertainment, Vanguarde Artists
Management and Tara Kole.
Julia Cohen is a
successful television writer and producer whose credits include
such acclaimed series as A Million Little Things,
Riverdale, Legion,
Quantico and Dallas.
A graduate of the Warner Bros. Writers' Workshop and the WGA
Showrunner Training Program, Cohen has a passion for
character-driven, serialized drama and has a proven track record of
helping to launch first-season shows onto multi-season runs.
Hailing originally from Toronto
and now based in Los Angeles,
Cohen is a reformed high-school drama major turned TV writer. Cohen
is represented by A3 Artists Agency, Vanguarde Artists Management
and Tara Kole.
Degrassi's 40-year legacy
For over four decades,
watching Degrassi has been a rite of passage for teenagers
everywhere, providing a mirror into their passions, struggles and
triumphs as they navigate the road to selfhood. Always at the
vanguard of inspiration, education and entertainment, Degrassi is
one of the most iconic brands in youth culture, unafraid to tackle
even the most challenging stories. No issue has been too
controversial or too real for Degrassi to explore, often breaking
new ground on such subjects as teen pregnancy, racism, AIDS, eating
disorders, child abuse, learning disabilities, gender identity,
violence and more.
Owned by WildBrain, Degrassi was originally created by
Linda Schuyler and Kit Hood in 1979 and has become a Canadian
institution celebrated worldwide and recognized with dozens of
awards across its six series, over 500 episodes and four TV movies,
including two International Emmy Awards, two Teen Choice Awards and
a Peabody. WildBrain's newest series for the brand, titled
Degrassi, is set to launch in the US with 10 one-hour
episodes on HBO Max in 2023.
About HBO Max
HBO Max™ is WarnerMedia's
direct-to-consumer streaming platform, offering best in class
quality entertainment. HBO Max features the greatest array of
storytelling for all audiences from the iconic brands of HBO,
Warner Bros., DC, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Turner Classic
Movies and more. The platform launched in the United States in May 2020 and introduced a lower priced,
advertising-supported tier in June
2021. HBO Max began its global rollout launching in markets
across Latin America and the
Caribbean last summer, followed by
its first European launches in the Nordics and Spain in the fall. Currently available in 46
countries, there are plans for continued expansion of HBO Max in
2022.
About WildBrain
At WildBrain we inspire imaginations
to run wild, engaging kids and families everywhere with great
content across all media. With approximately 13,000 half-hours of
filmed entertainment in our library – one of the world's most
extensive – we are home to such brands as Peanuts, Teletubbies,
Strawberry Shortcake, Yo Gabba
Gabba! Caillou, Inspector Gadget, Johnny
Test and Degrassi. At our 75,000-square-foot
state-of-the-art animation studio in Vancouver, BC, we produce such fan-favourite
series as The Snoopy Show, Snoopy in Space, Chip
& Potato, Carmen
Sandiego, Go, Dog. Go! and more. Our shows are enjoyed
worldwide in more than 150 countries on over 500 streaming
platforms and telecasters, and our AVOD business – WildBrain Spark
– offers one of the largest networks of kids' channels on YouTube,
garnering billions of views per month from over 245 million
subscribers. Through our leading agency, WildBrain CPLG, we also
license consumer products and location-based entertainment in every
major territory for our own properties as well as for our clients
and content partners. Our television group owns and operates four
family entertainment channels that are among the most viewed in
Canada. WildBrain is headquartered
in Canada with offices worldwide
and trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: WILD). Visit us at
WildBrain.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains
"forward-looking statements" under applicable securities laws with
respect to WildBrain including, without limitation, statements
regarding WildBrain's new Degrassi series and the business
strategies and operational activities of WildBrain. Although
WildBrain believes that the expectations reflected in such
forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements involve
risks and uncertainties and are based on information currently
available to WildBrain and assumptions that management believes are
reasonable at the time they are made but may prove to be incorrect.
Actual results or events may differ materially from those expressed
or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could
cause actual results or events to differ materially from current
expectations, among other things, include, epidemics, pandemics or
other public health crises, including the current outbreak of
COVID-19, the magnitude and length of economic disruption as a
result of the worldwide COVID-19 outbreak, and risk factors
discussed in materials filed with applicable securities regulatory
authorities from time to time including matters discussed under
"Risk Factors" in WildBrain's most recent Annual Information Form
and annual Management Discussion and Analysis. These
forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof, and
WildBrain assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect
new events or circumstances, except as required by law.
Media Contacts:
WarnerMedia Kids & Family
Publicity
Sara Hannah
Sara.hannah@warnermedia.com
WildBrain Publicity
Shaun
Smith - Director, Corporate & Trade Communications,
WildBrain
shaun.smith@wildbrain.com
+1 416-977-7230
Investor Relations:
WildBrain
Nancy Chan-Palmateer - Director, Investor
Relations, WildBrain
nancy.chanpalmateer@wildbrain.com
+1 416-977-7358
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