Back in July of last year it was revealed that Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss would be following up their adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire with a new HBO series entitled Confederate.
Set in an alternate history of the United States where the Confederacy successfully seceded from the Union during the American Civil War, giving rise to a nation where slavery remains legal and has evolved into a modern institution. The story would follow a broad swath of characters on both sides of the Mason-Dixon Demilitarized Zone – freedom fighters, slave hunters, politicians, abolitionists, journalists, the executives of a slave-holding conglomerate, and the families of people in their thrall.
As you’d imagine, the premise of modern-day slavery came in for much criticism, with HBO expressing regret as to how the announcement was handled and urging audiences to wait for the show to arrive before making a decision. However, it seems it may no longer be an issue as it now looks like the project will not be moving ahead.
This week, it was announced that Benioff and Weiss have signed on to develop a brand new series of Star Wars films, which they will begin working on once Game of Thrones finishes its run in 2019. As you’d expect, this is going to tie up the duo for several years, making it impossible to fit Confederate into their schedule.
Although HBO is yet to make a formal announcement on Confederate’s fate, Deadline is reporting that the show is now unlikely to see the light of day any time soon, if ever.
Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore
