A legal roadblock standing in the way of a world premiere for an investigative documentary about the popular Degrassi teen series franchise has been removed, allowing the film’s launch weekend at the Toronto Film Festival to go ahead.
Linda Schuyler, co-creator of the Degrassi property, on Monday filed a notice of action in the Ontario Superior Court alleging the documentary, Degrassi: Whatever It Takes, contained “defamatory statements and innuendo.” But by Wednesday, Schuyler and the producers of the documentary had settled their creative differences over the documentary.
That will allow twin world premiere screenings this weekend at Scotiabank Theatre in Toronto to go ahead.
Schuyler, in a statement obtained by THR, said of the agreement: “From the beginning, it was important to me, and to the whole Degrassi team, to do what we could to set our young performers up for success. The cast was paid much more than $50 a day. We also created and contributed on their behalf to a retirement fund and a scholarship foundation that provided them with opportunities for counseling and supported them into the future.”
Schuyler, who a decade ago sold her company, Epitome Pictures, to DHX Media, a forerunner of Wild Brain Entertainment, in her legal notice of action objected to claims made in the documentary that underpaid cast members had to pitch in on set alongside crew members to serve meals or wear their own clothes as wardrobe.
In a separate joint statement, Schuyler, and the film’s producers, Wild Brain Entertainment and Peacock Alley Entertainment, announced an end to their short-lived legal dispute. “The world premiere and other screenings at TIFF will proceed as planned. For future distribution beyond TIFF, the parties have agreed to add some additional context around the compensation paid to the performers.”
Drake and his former co-stars from the Canadian teen drama reunited for the documentary that looks back at the show’s legacy. The legal dispute over the documentary followed Schuyler and Kit Hood as co-creators over four decades, building the Degrassi franchise into an edgy, inclusive teen high school series.
Wild Brain and Peacock Alley Entertainment are behind the documentary that features interviews with stars Drake, Dayo Ade, Stefan Brogren, Amanda Deiseach, Maureen Deiseach, Shenae Grimes-Beech, Jake Epstein, Shane Kippel, Miriam McDonald, Stacie Mistysyn, Melinda Shankar, Amanda Stepto and Jordan Todosey.
The franchise began with Kids of Degrassi Street, which aired from 1979-86. Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High followed before Degrassi: The Next Generation premiered in 2001. The series, which starred Drake, Grimes-Beech, Nina Dobrev and more actors before their big breaks, ultimately ended in 2015. However, the franchise continued with Degrassi: Next Class, which aired on Netflix from 2016-17.
Ironically, Schuyler appears in the trailer for the documentary to reflect on the property: “Have we always gotten it right? Probably not. Have we told our stories with the best of intentions? Yes, we have,” she says, referring to some of the show’s more controversial storylines, including teen pregnancy, drug abuse and mental health.
TIFF programmer Jason Anderson also touched on the claim of underpaid cast members in his introduction of the documentary on the festival website: “It all makes for an engrossing history, one that celebrates the realistic take on adolescence that the franchise pioneered (especially when tackling divisive subjects like abortion) while also delving into thornier matters, like some actors’ misgivings about what the show demanded of them and how little they were compensated.”
Degrassi: Whatever It Takes is executive produced by Josh Scherba, Stephanie Betts and Angela Boudreault for WildBrain and by Carrie Mudd for Peacock Alley. In addition to directing the documentary, Rideout also co-wrote the project with Celine Wong.
Sept. 10, 1:30 p.m. The story is updated to reflect a settlement between Linda Schuyler and the producers of the documentary to allow the world premiere to go ahead in Toronto.