Posted in: HBO, Max, streaming, TV | Tagged: confederate, Dan Weiss, david benioff, HBO, max

Confederate: GOT Co-Creator Weiss on Failed HBO Alt-History Series

In 2017, Game of Thrones' David Benioff & Dan Weiss announced their alt-history series Confederate. Now, Weiss comments on the backlash.

With the release of the official trailer for Netflix's 3 Body Problem, EPs David Benioff & Dan Weiss are hitting the press circuit to promote their adaptation of Liu Cixin's bestselling novel – and they're tackling a whole number of interesting topics – including their feelings on how the fans reacted to the finale season of HBO's Game of Thrones. But for this go-around, we're looking at what the duo had to share about a failed project that got a lot of attention when it was announced – for none of the right reasons. Announced in July 2017, the duo's proposed series Confederate was to take place in an alternate timeline where the South successfully seceded from the Union, creating a nation in which slavery remains legal and has evolved into a modern institution. The story would be told from the perspectives of a broad range of characters on both sides of the Mason-Dixon Demilitarized Zone – freedom fighters, slave hunters, politicians, abolitionists, journalists, and the executives of a slave-holding conglomerate – as a lead-up to the start of the Third American Civil War.

Benioff and Weiss were set to write and serve as showrunners, with Malcolm Spellman (Empire) & Nichelle Tramble Spellman (Truth Be Told) also joining the show's writing team. However, the showrunners and cable network were immediately met with an intense backlash to the entire concept of Confederate.  After a statement of understanding and a plea for everyone to wait on passing judgment until they had seen the series, the production buzz slowly died down as all parties eventually moved on to other projects. During a profile interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Benioff & Weiss were asked to share their thoughts on the reaction that the proposed series received. "It's kind of a low point," Weiss shared. "You try things that feel like they are worth doing, and some of them work out, and some don't."

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