The CW is turning to two familiar faces to round out its pilot slate.
The network has handed out formal orders to Rob Thomas' Lost Boys and a presidential family drama from Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage as the broadcaster's pilot slate grows to eight for the 2020-21 broadcast season.
Lost Boys, from the creator of The CW's iZombie and Veronica Mars, was originally developed back in 2016 with Thomas attached for the network and went to pilot last year with Tyler Posey and Kiele Sanchez attached. The plan last year called for it to be reshot and re-piloted off-cycle. Thomas will again co-write the script with Heather Mitchell (Still Star-Crossed), with Marcos Siega stepping in to direct the new pilot for last year's helmer, Catherine Hardwicke. This will be the third stab at developing Lost Boys, the 1987 vampire movie that starred Kiefer Sutherland, Jason Patric, Jami Gertz, Corey Haim and Corey Feldman.
Maverick, meanwhile, is from Jane the Virgin grad Merigan Mulhern, who will pen the script for the drama from Fake Empire's Schwartz and Savage (The CW's Dynasty). The drama is set in present-day America and finds the country under authoritarian rule. It revolves around the president's daughter, whose world view and belief in her father are rocked on her first day at Georgetown.
Maverick hails from CBS TV Studios, where Schwartz and Savage's Fake Empire are under a broadcast-only overall deal. (The duo also have an exclusive streaming pact with Apple.) The longtime producing partners, who skyrocketed to fame with The O.C., also are behind The CW's Nancy Drew and recently completed Hulu Marvel drama Runaways and limited series Looking for Alaska. Should Maverick go to series, it would bring their CW haul to three, as Nancy Drew and Dynasty have all scored early renewals for the 2020-21 broadcast season.
Lost Boys, meanwhile, is produced by Warner Bros. TV, where Thomas' Spondoolie banner is under an overall deal. The producer last season wrapped iZombie at The CW and most recently was behind Hulu's Veronica Mars revival.
Lost Boys and Maverick join a CW pilot slate that includes two straight-to-series orders, Superman & Lois and Jared Padalecki's Walker, Texas Ranger redo, as well as traditional pilots Kung Fu and The Republic of Sarah and two more backdoor/planted episode spinoffs from The 100 and Arrow. The eight orders are up two year-over-year and come as the network already renewed 13 of its scripted live-action shows. With three titles ending this season — Arrow, The 100 and Supernatural — and two straight-to-series orders, the Mark Pedowitz-led broadcaster seemingly has little shelf space, making the oversize pilot pickups a bit of a surprise.
Keep track of all of this season's pilot orders, castings and eventual series orders with THR's handy guide.
