HBO Responds to Public Outrage Over 'Confederate' From 'Game of Thrones' Showrunners
HBO has issued a response to the public outrage over "Confederate." The new series, created by "Game of Thrones" showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, has not even started pre-production, script writing and casting but it is already dealing with controversy.
Viewers expressed displeasure over the theme of "Confederate" which takes an alternative look at the history of slavery in America. In the show, the Civil War supposedly didn't eradicate the practice and slavery remains the norm in the present day.
The public shot down the concept of keeping slavery alive by launching a #NoConfederate campaign on Twitter. Social justice activists also challenged HBO to cancel the series.
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In a statement, HBO made an appeal to the public to hold off any judgments on a show that is still in the development stage.
"The project is currently in its infancy so we hope that people will reserve judgment until there is something to see," the network's said.
Earlier, Benioff and Weiss explained their stand on why a show like "Confederate" should be given a chance on television. Speaking with Vulture, the showrunners said that there is a lot that everyone can still learn about slavery.
"History doesn't disappear. That sin [slavery] is still with us in many ways," Weiss said. "It's an ugly and a painful history, but we all think this is a reason to talk about it, not a reason to run from it."
HBO executives admitted that they fell short on the "Confederate's" announcement. Programming president Casey Bloys said that they should have thought of a better way to announce a series in development especially with a theme as sensitive as slavery and racism.
Bloys further added that HBO should have also allowed Benioff, Weiss and the show's two other producers, Malcolm and Nichelle Tramble-Spellman, to sit down with journalists. Instead, HBO relied on publishing a press release, which was a big mistake as people didn't get a clear grasp of what "Confederate" will be about.
Despite the outrage, HBO stands by "Confederate" and for now, there are no plans to drop the project.
