Degrassi is getting a remake from HBO Max and it's set to start filming in Toronto

While students in Ontario are currently out of classrooms, it's just been confirmed that the teens of Degrassi will soon be back in theirs, with a new reboot of the popular show slated to start filming in Toronto in a few months' time.

Coming from HBO Max, this modern iteration of the show will be darker than previous seasons, and will consist of ten, hour-long episodes that will star a new group of students and teachers "living in the shadow of events that both bind them together and tear them apart."

Showrunners Lara Azzopardi (Mary Kills People) and Julia Cohen (Riverdale) said in a release that they're excited to turn the show into a "truly serialized drama" that will explore new territory relevant to the times without deviating too far from the original ethos of the OG Degrassi.

The hit show evolved over the decades after its origin as The Kids of Degrassi Street in 1979, and became a regular fixture on TV screens through many of our childhoods, primarily through Degrassi: The Next Generation, which ran from 2001-2015.

The series is credited for giving Drake, who starred as Jimmy Brooks, his start.

I cannot fathom how insane a rebooted Degrassi would need to be to outstrip the original https://t.co/GTjZfuKAO4

— Jane Coaston (@janecoaston) January 13, 2022

Fans thus far seem thrilled about the unexpected news, though many are wondering if the show would have been a better fit for another network, and also how it will top its predecessors.

Some are also already suggesting certain actors and writers be considered, such as Toronto's James Alexander, while others are searching out how they can possibly audition.

If any streamers are interested in the pilot I wrote about this exact moment in my life, it’s available!! 🤪🤪🤪 https://t.co/WMa75Gsujd

— Lauren Collins (@Lauren_Collins) January 13, 2022

 On top of the new season, which will air in 2023, HBO Max has also acquired U.S. rights to all of Degrassi: The Next Generation's 14 seasons, which will be out for streaming on the platform by the spring.

WildBrain, the Halifax-based media company that owns the franchise, is still working out how it will get the show to Canadian viewers, according to the CBC.

Production will start this summer.