Confederate

It seems like forever ago, though only months have elapsed since HBO announced its controversial choice to enable Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and Dan Weiss’ modern slavery drama, Confederate. Development understandably took a backseat to production of the final Game of Thrones season, but a new report may reveal “the creators are not actively working on it” anymore.

Backlash to HBO’s post-Game of Thrones drama Confederate remains as fervent as ever, and many pointed to this past weekend’s deadly riots in Charlottesville as proof of the series’ insensitivity. That said, the network has again come to Confederate’s defense, claiming “the suggestion of irresponsibility on our part is simply undeserved.”

HBO has Confederate, and Amazon has Black America, sure, but Studio 8 is going all-in with an adaptation of Black Mask’s superhero comic series Black. The premise: only African-Americans possess superpowers and the government has successfully been suppressing this information for years — until a young boy in Brooklyn gets shot at by police and survives.

Pushback on HBO’s modern slavery drama Confederate understandably rages, and Amazon’s response is most intriguing of all. Straight Outta Compton producer Will Packer and The Boondocks creator Aaron McGruder’s new alternate-reality drama has been unveiled as Black America, with a very different premise.

Regardless of whatever Game of Thrones bosses David Benioff and Dan Weiss did next, a new modern slavery drama was not something to announce lightly. Now, HBO acknowledges that Confederate needed more consideration of its audience, if not the premise.

The announcement that Game of Thrones bosses David Benioff and Dan Weiss would develop a new modern slavery drama went over about as well as you’d expect. Now, the two try to manage the Confederate backlash with partners Nichelle Tramble Spellman and Malcolm Spellman, adding “the concern is real.”

Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss want an understandable break from Westeros after Season 8, but not TV entirely. The two are already plotting an HBO return, developing a new Confederate drama set in an alternate modern day following a second Civil War.