‘Confederate’: HBO Announces New Drama Series From ‘Game Of Thrones’ Showrunners David Benioff And D.B. Weiss
Game of Thronesjust began its penultimate season, but with the eighth and final season looming, we’ve been wondering what showrunnersDavid BenioffandD.B. Weisswould do after its over. Would they take on a larger role on one of theThronesspin-offs currently in development? Maybe make the jump to feature films? Go into hibernation after pouring their hearts and souls into one of the most difficult adaptations in TV history?
Now we know the answer: HBO has announced that the pair will be running a new drama series calledConfederatethat takes place in an alternate history in which the United States is about to enter a third Civil War. Looks like Amazon’sThe Man in the High Castlewill soon have some company in the “shows about historical events in an alternate timeline” category.
UnlikeGame of Thrones, this won’t be an adaptation: it’s a completely original idea hatched by Benioff and Weiss. Here’s the official description of the new series:
Confederatechronicles the events leading to the Third American Civil War. The series takes place in an alternate timeline, where the southern states have successfully seceded from the Union, giving rise to a nation in which slavery remains legal and has evolved into a modern institution. The story follows 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.
Will this show be #problematic?
The reaction to this news on Twitter has been…not great so far:
From the makers of GAME OF THRONES. This is a real thing.pic.twitter.com/fmo0g6rydo
— MZS (@mattzollerseitz)June 07, 2025
While Benioff and Weiss maybe haven’t had the lightest touch when it comes to race onGame of Thrones, it’s worth remembering that they’re adapting beloved series of novels. Yes, they’ve made some decisions on their own that haven’t exactly gone over very well (the “Mhysa” example above from Neil Miller is a perfect example), but I think the largely astonishing job they’ve done adapting material that is incredibly challenging has at least earned them a shot to tell a completely original story on their own terms.
Plus, while they will certainly be calling the shots as the showrunners here, they’ve also hired a diverse team of executive producers and writers, includingNichelle Tramble Spellman(Justified, The Good Wife),Malcolm Spellman(Empire),Carolyn Strauss(Game of Thrones), andBernadette Caulfield(Game of Thrones, Big Love) – two of whom are black. So this isn’t going to just be two white guys in a room writing about slavery here. Let’s see if Benioff and Weiss learned anything from the controversies that have sprouted up during theirThronesrun. The scope of this show certainly has me intrigued.
Our own Peter Sciretta also pointed out to me that there was a 2004 indie film calledConfederate States of Americathat covered a similar topic. you’re able to watch that trailer below:
“We have discussedConfederatefor years, originally as a concept for a feature film,” Benioff and Weiss said in a press release. “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.”
Production starts afterGame of Thrones' final season. What do you think?
