HBO announces US series Confederate from David Benioff and D.B. Weiss

Game Of Thrones

Game Of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have revealed that their next series will be HBO drama Confederate, an alternative history story chronicling the events leading up to Third American Civil War.

The series will chart a world in which 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 is set to follow a broad collection 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.

The series will be written and created by Benioff and Weiss, who will also serve as showrunners on the series.

Partnering with them as executive producers and writers will be Nichelle Tramble Spellman (The Good Wife) and Malcolm Spellman (Empire). Game Of Thrones duo Carolyn Strauss and Bernadette Caulfield will also join as executive producers.

Production is due to begin following the final season of Game of Thrones.

“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,” said Casey Bloys, president, HBO Programming.

“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.”

“We have discussed Confederate for years, originally as a concept for a feature film,” added Benioff and Weiss.

“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.”