It’s the end of an era.
Girls and Camping producing partners and longtime friends Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner have split as producing partners ahead of the December expiration date of their joint overall deal with HBO for their A Casual Romance Productions banner. Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that Dunham and Konner are in talks for individual overall deals with the premium cable network.
Sources say that the duo, who jointly exec produce HBO’s upcoming Jennifer Garner comedy series Camping, will be taking a break from their partnership to work on other projects. It’s unclear how long the duo will remain apart. The split arrives as Dunham and Konner have multiple other TV projects in the works together under their soon-to-expire joint overall deal for HBO via their Casual Romance banner in addition to a feature film that falls outside of their TV pact. (Details on those projects are being kept under wraps.)
“We have had one of the most significant relationships together in our adult lives and we respect each other’s choices,” Dunham and Konner said in a joint statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “While our interests are pulling us in different directions right now, we are excited about our current work and are firmly committed to the projects we have together. HBO has been our home for quite some time and we look forward to continuing there as we both move forward.”
While Dunham and Konner’s HBO deal does not expire until December, the decision was made to split early as Camping — written and exec produced by Dunham and Konner — has already wrapped production on its initial run of eight episodes.
Camping marks the first TV series follow-up for Dunham and Konner since Girls ended its critically praised six-season run on HBO last year. Dunham and Konner are expected to pursue other projects independently. It’s unclear how or if that will impact Camping should the comedy co-starring David Tennant earn a second season.
The duo, which in March departed UTA for CAA, launched feminist newsletter and website and book imprint Lenny Letter in 2015. (It is now owned by Conde Nast.) It’s unclear how or if Lenny Letter will be impacted by Dunham and Konner’s creative split.
In a February oral history cover story pegged to the Girls finale, Dunham told The Hollywood Reporter that she and Konner were “giving ourselves the gift of a little time,” as they both planned to work together on Lenny and “a bunch of feature ideas” — and eventually film a Girls feature. Said Konner at the time: “We feel like no one necessarily needs to hear from us right now. But if someone wants to do the [Girls] movie, we’ll do it.” (Camping, which had been in the works for months, was announced shortly afterward.)
A premiere date for Camping has not yet been determined. Dunham and Konner (and Garner) are poised to meet reporters Wednesday as part of HBO’s Camping presentation during the Television Critics Association’s summer press tour.
This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.