Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage have confirmed that an official Gossip Girl spin-off series is in the works that will tell the backstory of young Lily and Rufus in love in 1980s Los Angeles. Spin-off projects have been just rumors and fans of the popular TV series have learned to be skeptical when it came down to such announcements.

But this seems to be the real deal. The spin-off will have its debut as a pilot episode on May 11th this year. This is exciting news for the fans of the series, as Rufus and Lily are one of the most loved characters in the show.

The original series was inspired by the novels written by Cecily von Ziegesar. Like in the book, the TV show revolves around the troubles of some teenagers living in East Side New York. The plot deals with sex, drugs, jealousy and other factors that influence teens so much.

The characters are students at private schools and are mixing the problems they have at school with the turbulent events that influence their personal lives.

The series first aired on September 18, 2007 in Canada on CTV before premiering in the U.S. a day later on The CW. The show received a warm welcome and the first season was regarded as a real success.

The spin-off will try to maintain the spirit of the original, as it is very important to keep the recipe that made for such a success. It will certainly be interesting to see the whole story of Lily and Rufus, this alone being a thing assuring the success of the spin-off.