‘Game of Thrones’ creators’ controversial slave drama ‘Confederate’ canned by HBO after Twitter backlash
GAME of Thrones creators’ controversial slave drama Confederate has reportedly been canned by HBO.
The show by GOT creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss was officially canceled after the series was blasted online, reports TV Line.
The sci-fi drama depicting an alternate history where the South won the Civil War was due to start shooting after GOT‘s final season wrapped in May 2019.
But Confederate was officially axed after HBO confirmed they are officially abandoning the project dogged by criticism for three years.
The controversial series sparked an anti-slavery Twitter protest via the hashtag #NoConfederate last summer.
The campaign was orchestrated by diversity advocate April Reign who urged viewers to tweet the hashtag while GOT aired.
HBO President Casey Bloys admitted the announcement was “misguided” after the cable network was urged to abandon it.
LRT – thank you to everyone who supported #NoConfederate – today is a really good day!
— Rebecca Theodore-Vachon (@FilmFatale_NYC) January 15, 2020
Confederate “takes place in an alternate timeline, where 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.”
Benioff and Weiss were writer-creators on the show announced in 2017, alongside executive producers Nichelle Tramble Spellman (The Good Wife) and Malcolm Spellman (Empire).
The screenwriters previously said they discussed it as a concept for a feature film” – but their experience on GOT inspired them to make it into a HBO series.
A whole host of characters on both sides of the Mason-Dixon Demilitarized Zone were supposed to make their small screen debut.
Initially, it appeared the show would go on despite the Twitter outrage according to HBO’s July 2019 statement to The Hollywood Reporter.
It read: “We have great respect for the dialogue and concern being expressed around Confederate.
“We have faith that [writers] Nichelle, Dan, David and Malcolm will approach the subject with care and sensitivity.
“The project is currently in its infancy so we hope that people will reserve judgment until there is something to see.”
There were subsequent reports Confederate was dead following Benioff and Weiss’ Netflix deal but nothing was officially confirmed.
The Sun has contacted HBO for comment.
Confederate was apparently put on the back-burner since February 2018 when it emerged Disney and Lucasfilm signed Benioff and Weiss to create a new Star Wars trilogy.
But the GOT creators abandoned the once-in-lifetime project citing their Netflix deal – despite highlighting their “love” of the franchise.
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Benioff and Weiss said: “When George Lucas built it, he built us too. Getting to talk about Star Wars with him and the current Star Wars team was the thrill of a lifetime.
“We will always be indebted to the saga that changed everything.”
The news comes after GOT bosses announced the show’s prequel, House of the Dragon, will air in 2022.
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