One of the most controversial TV projects of the last decade is now firmly dead, it appears. In the middle of the run ofGame of Thrones, it was announced that the smash-hit series’ showrunnersDavid BenioffandD.B. Weisswerebusy developingtheir next HBO show:Confederate. The alternative history sci-fi series would imagine a world in which the North never definitively won the Civil War, and slavery still exists in the modern era as an institution in the South.
Immediately the mere idea of this series was met with backlash. After all, the ramifications of slavery are still being felt in America today, and Benioff and Weiss haven’t particularly been praised for their tact or portrayal of women or people of color onGame of Thrones. The showrunners immediatelytried to combat the backlash, defending the idea ofConfederateas a sci-fi series that speaks to the world we live in today. Moreover, the black husband-and-wife duoNichelle Tramble Spellman(The Good Wife) andMalcolm Spellman(Empire) were announced to be serving as writers and executive producers on the series.
Needless to say, as Benioff and Weiss continued their 12-month-a-year job onGame of Thrones, the stink ofConfederatenever really went away. Despite the series beingdefendedby HBO presidentCasey Bloysat the time, reports swirled that internally at HBO even staffers were upset by this tasteless idea.
The most recent update we received onConfederatecame in November 2017, when HBO confirmed that the series was“not actively” being worked onwhile Benioff and Weiss focused on bringingGame of Thronesto an end (and we all know howthatturned out). Now, in the wake of this week’s news that Benioff and Weiss just signeda $200 million dealto create new films and TV series at Netflix,THRnotes that the duo’s move from HBO to the streamer “wipesConfederateoff HBO’s books.”
So while HBO didn’t secure Benioff and Weiss to continue creating projects for the pay cable channel post-Game of Thrones, the network did get to wipe its hands clean of a show that would’ve just drummed up controversy after controversy. Indeed, while HBO/WarnerMedia made an initial attempt to sign Benioff and Weiss to an overall deal, THR says it became clear early on that they couldn’t compete with the mega-millions that rivals like Netflix, Amazon, and Disney were prepared to offer.
Amazon was reportedly the frontrunner to land Benioff and Weiss for an overall deal until this summer, when Netflix surged ahead. The two already have their hands full writing a newStar Warsmovie trilogy for Lucasfilm/Disney, but in the wake of this Netflix deal, we now know where their next inevitable TV series will land. So what are the odds the idea will be as ill-conceived asConfederate? I suppose we’ll just have to wait to find out.
