What if slavery was never abolished?

A new series for Game of Thrones team

David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, the award- winning duo behind Game of Thrones, is gearing up for their HBO followup, a new television series titled Confederate, which will be based in an alternate reality where slavery was never abolished. If that sounds like it might be a little problematic to you, you wouldn’t be alone.

According to Deadline, the show is set 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.” It will follow a “broad swath” of characters, including politicians, journalists, abolitionists, slave hunters and “executives of a slaveholding conglomerate” — whatever that means.

A concept like this coming from Benioff and Weiss, as well-written and critically acclaimed as Thrones is, is potentially troubling because one of the biggest criticisms of the George R. R. Martin series has been its lack of people of colour, and a consistent white saviour theme.

This is most often represented by Emilia Clarke’s Daenerys Targaryen, who spearheads an entire nation of black and brown people (who are only ever present in the series as slaves).

Actor John Boyega, who was the subject of major protest from Star Wars fans when he was cast as a storm trooper in The Force Awakens because of his race, made headlines just this week when he called out the popular series for its incredibly white cast. In an interview with GQ, he said, “There are no black people on Game of Thrones. You don’t see one black person in Lord of the Rings. I ain’t paying money to always see one type of person on- screen. Because you see different people from different backgrounds, different cultures, every day. Even if you’re a racist, you have to live with that. We can ruffle up some feathers.”

Despite slavery being abolished in America 150 years ago ( and in some places, flourished for much, much longer), there are legitimate concerns that Confederate continues a troubling pattern of prestige television and film that only places black characters front and centre when the theme is slavery.

Here’s one thing potentially in its favour, however: Benioff and Weiss have hired black writers Nichelle Tramble Spellman and Malcolm Spellman to be part of their writers’ room. If, perhaps, they are able to have strong voices in the narrative of the series, there may be hope. But let’s consider it slim for now.

SOUTHERN STATES HAVE SUCCESSFULLY SECEDED.