Game of Thrones creators developing Confederate as their next HBO series

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Thankfully, Game of Thrones won't be coming to a close quite yet, but that end is approaching and series creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss will soon find themselves in need of employment. The pair didn't need to stray too far for their next gig as it has been revealed that they will be reteaming with HBO for an alt-history drama series titled Confederate.

Confederate will be written by D.B. Weiss and David Benioff, who will also serve as showrunners, and deals with the events leading up to the Third American Civil War. Before you start scratching your head, Confederate takes place in an alternate timeline in which the southern states have successfully seceded from the Union and have created a new nation where slavery remains legal and has become a modern institution. The series will 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." Joining Benioff and Weiss as writers and executive producers on the series will be Nichelle Tramble Spellman (Justified) and Malcolm Spellman (Empire). In a statement, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss said:

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.

President of HBO Programming Casey Bloys added, "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." Production on Confederate will begin following the final season of Game of Thrones. The series certainly sounds like it could be interesting, and given that Benioff and Weiss have given HBO one of its most successful shows ever with Game of Thrones, you can bet that they won't by shy about throwing a lot of money at their new venture.

Any thoughts about Confederate at this early stage?