Updated: 'Days of Our Lives' Headwriter Shake-Up

"Days of Our Lives" has fired co-head writers Marlene McPherson and Darrell Ray Thomas, Jr., less than a year after they ushered in last fall's Salem reboot. Since teaming up last August, the duo wrote the returns of several core characters, incorporated a new local hang out and brought Salem back to its roots of family feuds and love triangles, while also crafting the coming out storyline for gay Will Horton. Word is industry vets Gary Tomlin and Christopher Whitesell, who were ousted as part of the reboot, will step in as the new headwriters. (See update below for information on the third member of the new "dream team," Lorraine Broderick.)

Bing: More on "Days of Our Lives" | Watch full episodes and clips

"Thank you DOOL fans," Marlene McPherson tweeted Wednesday, April 4. "U r the best and we love you! NBC never let us tell our stories. They kept stopping us and changing our direction. Sad."

NBC hasn't responded to MSN TV's queries or released an official statement, but word is Gary Tomlin and Christopher Whitesell have been tapped to assume the reigns, according to Soap Opera Network.

Tomlin and Whitesell, who were both with "Days of Our Lives" a year ago, are no strangers to Salem nor the soap world, and they've got the Daytime Emmys to prove it. 

Tomlin got his start in daytime as an actor on "Search for Tomorrow" in 1973 and went on to write, producer and direct several soaps, winning a 2002 Best Drama Emmy for his executive producer stint at "One Life To Live." Most recently, he served as co-executive producer at "Days of Our Lives" from September, 2008 to June, 2011. In spite of being a fave among actors and having the rep of being a cost cutting pro, he was ousted as part of head honcho Ken Corday's overhaul last year. Tomlin also did time as "Days of our Lives" co-headwriter from 1980 to 1981, but his last stint as a headwriter was just a few months during the 2007-2008 WGA writers' strike, when he crossed the picket lines at “One Life to Live."

Like Tomlin, Whitesell has long history in soaps and was part of last year's Salem shakeup. He was fired from the position of co-headwriter a few months before Tomlin was let go. Whitesell got his start as a writer on "Guiding Light" and has gone on to serve as co-headwriter six times, earning four Daytime Emmys for his writing. For the last year, he's been writing breakdowns for “The Young and The Restless."