Though ABC has not officially acknowledged that General Hospital head writers Robert Guza Jr. and Meg Bennett are leaving the show, the network has already begun its search for their replacements.

In early September, Guza and Bennett issued a release stating that they'd decided to call it quits after manning the helm of General Hospital for three years. "It's been a great ride," said Guza, "but we feel that it's time to move on."

There's wide speculation that one of Guza's pals, Josh Griffith, may replace him in the head writing gig. Griffith and Guza were co-creators of the now canceled NBC soap Sunset Beach. Griffith also worked with Guza as a writer for another defunct NBC soap, Santa Barbara, for which the pair was honored with writing Emmys in 1989 and 1991.

Another candidate may be Michael Malone, who has also worked with Griffith. The pair are former scribes for One Life to Live and won Daytime Emmys for their work in 1994. After leaving One Life to Live, Malone served as head writer of Another World for about six months in 1997.

A spokesperson for ABC offered no comment on the reports that a new writing team is en route to General Hospital. As for Guza, the Emmy-winning scribe has enacted a clause in his contract that will keep him aboard up to the November Sweeps period.