A new series by Game of Thrones creators D.B. Weiss and David Benioff? Great, right? Well, you’d think. But when HBO announced Confederate back in 2017 they were unprepared for the backlash from those who didn’t like its alternative take on U.S. history. But despite the project going quiet ever since, it’s far from dead and is just waiting for the right moment.
Speaking with TVLine, HBO president Casey Bloys says Confederate is merely on delay until Weiss and Benioff’s schedules clear up. Of course, they’re currently busy with the final Game of Thrones season, but after that they’ve been hired by Disney for a trio of Star Wars movies…
“Dan and David are finishing up the final season [of Game of Thrones] and then they are going to go into the Star Wars universe. When they come out of that, I assume they will come back to us.”
Confederate takes place in an alternate post-Civil War history in which “the southern states have successfully seceded from the Union, giving rise to a nation in which slavery remains legal and has evolved into a modern institution.” HBO’s press announcement about the series had some issues, which even the network acknowledges.
I found the reaction to Confederate absurd and a lot of people whining about nothing. I care less about a series’ premise than I do what’s done with it, and it always struck me as an opportunity to look at this country’s ugly history with slavery. Hopefully, it proceeds ahead without anybody softening the original concept, although it seems we’ll be waiting a long time to see it.
