Image by Getty

If you don’t care to envision an America where slavery was never abolished, you certainly aren’t alone. When the Jewish creators of “Game Of Thrones,” D.B. Weiss and David Benioff, announced that their next venture was an alt-history show where slavery had never been abolished, eminent scholar Ta-Nehisi Coates felt hehad to get involved. The ire of the nation was raised.

Did all that furor achieve its goal? It just might have.

In the Washington Post’s recent piece about what HBO might do after “Game of Thrones” a source said that the creators “are not actively working on it.” “Confederate” might still be in development, but it is a long way away from going into production.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

The creators of “Game Of Thrones” have not exactly been heralded for their own show diversity. John Boyega famously pointed out that “there are no black people on Game of Thrones.” A show like “Confederate,” dealing heavily with issues of race and power, might not be in the best hands with people with such a spotty track record.

Word from HBO has it that “the four showrunners are working on different projects and won’t be able to focus on this new project for a while, maybe 18 months.” Nichelle Tramble Spellman, D.B. Weiss, Malcolm Spellman, and David Benioff are all busy with their own projects (shooting the final season of “Game of Thrones” is also sure to take up some time) and possibly distracting themselves from the cultural cataclysm that is sure to hit if “Confederate” makes it to prime time.

Perhaps the #NoConfederate rabble-rousing hashtag on Twitter forced some executives at HBO to contend with the idea that perhaps now is not the best time for an alt-history, slavery fanfic piece of prestige television?

We may never know.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount