Dramatic shift at 20th Century Fox TV

As pilot season winds down, 20th Century Fox is making a dramatic moves of its own.

The studio has tapped NBC alum Michael Thorn to serve as its new drama development chief, replacing longtime 20th exec Patrick Moran (right) -- who is ankling his post.

Thorn will serve as senior VP of drama development and report to 20th exec VP Jennifer Nicholson Salke, who oversees the studio's overall drama and comedy output.

"It all happened very quickly," Thorn said. "It was the right opportunity at the right time."

Thorn most recently served as president of Marty Adelstein's Lost Marbles Television, overseeing the 20th-based shingle's scripted development.

That means Thorn has served as an EP on MTV's upcoming "Teen Wolf." (Although "Teen Wolf" hasn't officially been picked up yet, the show has been given the greenlight to begin staffing -- and could be ready for a January launch on the cabler.)

"Marty has been a great friend and mentor, but this was an opportunity I couldn't pass up," Thorn said. "20th has a legacy of developing and producing some of the most creative drama series in TV. To get to be a part of that, and make my own mark, and be able to sell to Fox and the other networks, it was something I couldn't say no to."

Before Adelstein's company, Thorn handled drama development at the Peacock, working on projects such as "Friday Night Lights" and "Heroes." He was also a primetime series exec at NBC Studios, working on shows such as "Crossing Jordan" and "Boomtown."

Exec will officially join 20th in June; drama development VPs Lisa Katz and Jonathan Wax will report to him.

Change comes even as Moran is coming off a strong development season, having overseen hot pilots "Ridealong," "Breakout Kings," "Lone Star" and "Chaos." 20th scored six drama pilots this year.“I’ve been at the studio for many years now, and I’ve loved my time here, but I wanted to try something a bit more entrepreneurial,” Moran said.

Moran, whose contract was up, also helped develop 20th mainstays such as "Glee," "Bones" and "Prison Break." Exec will help with the transition as a consultant.

Moran had been at 20th since 2003, working his way up the drama ranks. (Here's a promotion story from 2007.)

Before 20th, Moran served as VP of drama at UPN, developing shows such as "Platinum," the revived "The Twilight Zone" and "The Dead Zone," which ultimately moved to USA.