David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, the showrunners behind Game of Thrones, have another series in development at HBO. Titled Confederate, the new show will explore an alternate history of America that depicts the Confederacy successfully seceded from the Union in the American Civil War.
Written by Benioff and Weiss, who also will showrun, Confederate chronicles events leading to the Third American Civil War. It 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. The story follows 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.
The pair will be joined by their Game of Thrones colleagues Carolyn Strauss and Bernadette Caulfield, who will act as executive producers, as well as Justified’s Tramble Spellman and Empire’s Malcolm Spellman, who will serve as executive producers and writers for the series.
Casey Bloys, HBO’s programming president, said of the series: “As the brilliant Game Of Thrones winds down to its final season, we are thrilled to be able to continue our relationship with Dan and David, knowing that any subject they take on will result in a unique and ambitious series. Their intelligent, wry and visually stunning approach to storytelling has a way of engaging an audience and taking them on an unforgettable journey. Confederate promises to be no exception, and we are honored to be adding the talented team of Nichelle and Malcolm Spellman to the mix.”
Benioff and Weiss also put out a statement, saying: “We have discussed Confederate for years, originally as a concept for a feature film. But our experience on Thrones has convinced us that no one provides a bigger, better storytelling canvas than HBO. There won’t be dragons or White Walkers in this series, but we are creating a world, and we couldn’t imagine better partners in world-building than Nichelle and Malcolm, who have impressed us for a long time with their wit, their imagination and their Scrabble-playing skills.”
