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David Benioff and Dan Weiss, who adapted "Game
of Thrones" from George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire"
books, will write and direct original series "Confederate," HBO
said on Wednesday.
The show is set in an alternative reality in a nation where
slavery is still legal and southern U.S. states have seceded.
HBO said the series "chronicles the events leading to the Third
American Civil War."
It will explore perspectives including freedom fighters, slave
hunters, politicians, journalists and abolitionists on both
sides of the divide, HBO said in a statement.
"Confederate" is a world away from the dragons, undead armies
and magic in the medieval setting of "Game of Thrones," where
warring factions scheme and battle for control over the Seven
Kingdoms of Westeros.
Benioff and Weiss said they had initially conceived
"Confederate" as a feature film but their success with "Game of
Thrones" had "convinced us that no one provides a bigger, better
storytelling canvas than HBO."
No further details were given on the new show, casting or when
it is scheduled to air.
The announcement comes as Benioff and Weiss head into the final
season of "Game of Thrones," scheduled to conclude next year.
The show's seventh season premiered with record ratings on
Sunday, drawing some 16.1 million U.S. viewers, HBO said.
(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by David Gregorio)
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