Stephanie and Josh - P 2012
Mere weeks after Gossip Girl concluded its six-season run, Fake Empire’s Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage are finalizing a lucrative, three-year deal to move their TV banner from Warner Bros. TV to ABC Studios.
The move, which The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed, comes after a decade-plus relationship between the pair and the studio behind such Fake Empire series as the CW’s Hart of Dixie, new addition The Carrie Diaries and upcoming CW drama Cult. Schwartz’ history at Warner Bros. dates back to his 2003 breakout Fox series The O.C., while Savage was a producer on the studio’s 2002 Fox series Fastlane with Wonderland’s McG. For his part, Fake Empire’s head of TV Len Goldstein spent 13 years at Warner Bros. as an executive.
THR’S SHOWRUNNERS 2012: Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage
The ABC Studios deal is expected to begin in June, after the two and a half year old company’s current three-year Warner Bros. deal expires. Proving in demand once again, Fake Empire currently had six projects in development at a collection of networks this development season.
For ABC Studios, this is said to be part of a bid for big names as well as fare across the network fold. Warner Bros. TV has been more aggressive in this arena in recent years, luring both Arrow’s Greg Berlanti and Cougar Town’s Bill Lawrence away from ABC.
Savage and Schwartz are both repped by WME and McKuin Frankel.
