HBO recently announced a new show from Game of Thrones creators D.B. Weiss and David Benioff. Titled ‘Confederate’ the upcoming series’ premise is that of an alternate-reality version of the United States, where the Confederates won the American Civil War with a direct result being the continuation of slavery. With such a volatile topic, there was bound to be a significant amount of backlash regarding the new show. As such, both the Thrones creators and the husband-and-wife producers/writers Nichelle Tramble Spellman and Malcolm Spellman have responded to the growing criticism.

In an interview with Vulture, Benioff revealed that very little written work had actually been done on the project, stating that not even an outline had been written. “We haven’t written any scripts yet,” he said. “We don’t have an outline yet. We don’t even have character names.”

So everything is brand new and nothing’s been written. I guess that’s what was a little bit surprising about some of the outrage, it’s just a little premature. You know, we might f**k it up. But we haven’t yet.”

Nichelle Spellman echoed Benioff’s words, saying that she understands the concern about a show like Confederate being created and the potential dangers behind not handling the subjects found within the show with enough care, but she wants people to wait to see the finished product.

The concern is real, but I think that the four of us are very thoughtful, very serious, and not flip about what we are getting into in any way. What I’ve done in the past, what Malcolm has done in the past, what the D.B.’s have done in the past proves that. So, I would have loved an opportunity for the conversation to start once the show was on the air.”

Malcolm Spellman also brought up their first meeting with the Thrones creators, mentioning that upon hearing the premise of Confederate told them that they were “dealing with weapons-grade material here.”  

They had this script, the movie version, but they felt taking it to TV would be better. And they knew they needed black voices on it. For me and Nichelle, it’s deeply personal because we are the offspring of this history. We deal with it directly and have for our entire lives. We deal with it in Hollywood, we deal with it in the real world when we’re dealing with friends and family members.

And I think Nichelle and I both felt a sense of urgency in trying to find a way to support a discussion that is percolating but isn’t happening enough. As people of color and minorities in general are starting to get a voice, I think there’s a duty to force this discussion.”

Benioff and Weiss are set to be the showrunners for Confederate with Malcolm and Nichelle Spellman filling out the rest of the writing team for the show. The new series currently does not have a premiere date, though it is not expected to air until after Game of Thrones‘ final season. HBO also has several Thrones spin-offs in the works as well, though Benioff and Weiss will have a smaller part to play in them.  

So, thoughts on the upcoming Confederate show? What are your thoughts on the instant backlash the Thrones creators received upon HBO’s announcement? Give us your thoughts on the comments section below, and as always, stay tuned to DFTG for all the latest gaming and entertainment news! Don’t forget to follow Don’t Feed the Gamers on Twitter for our 24/7  news feed!