Update: Jay And Silent Bob Strike ‘Degrassi’ [The Gate]
By: W. Andrew Powell

Two days ago we reported to you that Kevin Smith will be appearing as a guest on this season’s final three episodes of Degrassi: The Next Generation, but today we’ve got a few more details to help flesh out the plan, and we can tell you now that it includes Jason Mewes.

According to some notes I received from CTV (the Canadian broadcaster who airs Degrassi in Canada) Smith and Mewes will guest-star as themselves and also as their famous alter-egos… Jay (Mewes) & Silent Bob (Smith). The three-episode story arc which is set to air in January will see the duo filming a fictional sequel to Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back where their characters have to find a school to get their high-school diplomas (you guessed it, none of the schools in the U.S. would take them), and Smith ends up picking Degrassi as the best place to shoot.

The plot of the movie within the show is so funny,” Smith said, “it almost makes me want to shoot the flick for real.

About the only question that hasn’t been answered is if it’s even possible for the whacked duo to appear without the usual intense levels of profanity. Obviously they must have worked out some kind of plan for this, but long-time fans may be shocked that you can have Jay & Silent Bob appear without a lot of swearing and drug references.

During a press conference held on the lot for Degrassi, which is at Epitome Productions in Toronto, the cast and producers commented on how it all came together. Smith has always wanted to do something with Degrassi, but until now nothing had worked out.

When Smith asked to write, or direct an episode of the show he was turned down by Linda Schuyler, the executive producer of Degrassi, I cant hire you for that. The show is 100 per cent Canadian. To which Smith commented, Ive offered to direct other things in the past. Because the show is 100 per cent Canadian is the best excuse Ive ever got for not letting me.

Apparently, one of Smith’s other wishes was that his character in the show (who isn’t married, even though he is in real life) “get in between Joey and Caitlin”. To which Schuyler responded, We can make that work.

Aaron and Shelley did a great job of writing my little world into their little world, Smith said, referring to executive producer and writer Aaron Martin and story editor and writer Shelley Scarrow.

Smith’s praise for Degrassi doesn’t end there though. Smith was hooked on the original Degrassi series after just one episode. The first time I watched the show I thought, ‘this is so melodramatic,’ and by the end of the episode I was weeping. He went on to say that Degrassi is “one of the very few fascinations that Ive carried through to adulthood.

However I don’t think the compliments get much better than this: Ive always viewed Toronto as my adopted home planet.

Check out http://www.degrassi.tv for more on Degrassi: The Next Generation and http://www.viewaskew.com for more on Kevin Smith and his films. You can also catch Smith live in Toronto at the Roy Thomson Hall on November 18th as part of “Kevin Smith Lays The Podium Down”. The show starts at 8:00pm and tickets go on sale Monday, October 25th. This appearance will be filmed for the upcoming DVD, An Evening With Kevin Smith 2: Evening Harder.