'Game of Thrones' Showrunners Defend Controversial New Sci-Fi Slave Drama 'Confederate' | THR News - video Dailymotion

Hollywood Journal

'Game of Thrones' showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have defended their new project 'Confederate,' which has elicited controversy about its depiction of modern day slavery.

Transcript

00:00Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are still in the process of

00:04wrapping up Game of Thrones.

00:06But ever since Wednesday, when HBO announced that it ordered a sci-fi series from the duo

00:10set in an alternative timeline where slavery still exists, the pair have had to turn their

00:16attention to their next project, and more specifically, the controversy already surrounding

00:21it.

00:22Titled Confederate, the drama chronicles the events leading to the third American Civil

00:26War. The series takes place in an alternate timeline where the southern states have successfully

00:31seceded from the Union, giving rise to a nation in which slavery remains legal and has evolved

00:36into a modern institution.

00:38The project almost immediately drew criticism across social media for its depiction of present

00:43day slavery.

00:45In an interview with New York's Vulture, Benioff and Weiss, along with fellow Confederate writers,

00:50African-American husband and wife team Malcolm and Nichelle Tramble Spellman, defended the project

00:55and urged those upset parties to wait until the episodes actually premiere, which is not

01:00expected for at least a year, if not more.

01:03It's just a little premature, Benioff said about the initial outrage surrounding the series.

01:08You know, we might eff it up, but we haven't yet.

01:11Benioff and Weiss are no strangers to controversy and criticism despite their massive critical and

01:15commercial success with Game of Thrones.

01:18Among many other topics, the series has been criticized for its depiction of violence, violence

01:23against women more specifically, and its depiction of race, which Weiss also addressed.

01:28We know that the elements in play in a show like Confederate are much more raw, much more

01:32real, and people come into them much more sensitive and more invested than they do with a story

01:37about a place called Westeros.

01:39We know they are different things, and they need to be dealt with in very, very different

01:44ways.

01:45And we plan, all of us, I think, to approach Confederate in a much different spirit by necessity.

01:51At another point, he also defended the show's premise as being based in an alternate history.

01:56Weiss said,

01:56It goes without saying slavery is the worst thing that ever happened in American history.

02:01It's our original sin as a nation, and history doesn't disappear.

02:06That sin is still with us in many ways.

02:09Confederate, in all of our minds, will be an alternate history show.

02:12It's a science fiction show.

02:14One of the strengths of science fiction is that it can show us how this history is still

02:18with us in a way no strictly realistic drama ever could, whether it were a historical drama

02:24or a contemporary drama.

02:26It's an ugly and painful history, but we all think this is a reason to talk about it, not

02:31a reason to run from it.

02:33So guys, what's your take on Confederate?

02:35Let me know in the comments.

02:36For The Hollywood Reporter News, I'm Paul Costabile.

02:43This episode of The Hollywood Reporter News is brought to you by American Airlines, Hollywood's

02:44favorite airline.

'Game of Thrones' Showrunners Defend Controversial New Sci-Fi Slave Drama 'Confederate' | THR News

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended