The Television Critics Association summer press tour didn’t let HBO off the hook when it came to “Confederate.” The recently announced new show from “Game Of Thrones” duo David Benioff and D.B. Weiss and writers/producers Nichelle Tramble Spellman (“Justified,” “The Good Wife”) and Malcolm Spellman (“Empire”) drew immediate ire for its premise, which will focus on an alternate history where slavery still exists in contemporary, divided America. While the quartet of creators defended their show, they came at it facing an uphill battle of online outrage and scrutiny. Now, HBO admits they perhaps should’ve taken a more delicate approach.
HBO program chief Casey Bloys got candid and admits that announcing such a hot-button series through an email blast to press was probably not the right way to go.
“If I could do it over again, our mistake — HBO’s mistake, not the producers’ — was thinking that we would be able to announce an idea that was so sensitive and require so much care in a press release,” he said, adding that if he could do it over, he would’ve had Benioff, Weiss, and the Spellmans speak with journalists directly about the intentions with the series first.
READ MORE: ‘Game Of Thrones’ Duo David Benioff And D.B. Weiss Spark Controversy With ‘Confederate’
All that said, Bloys also believes in the vision for “Confederate,” and, like its creators, says the series will be used as a conduit to discuss issues that are still quite relevant in the country today.
“If you can draw a line between what we’re seeing in the country today with voter suppression, mass incarceration, lack of access to public education … and draw a direct line to our past, that’s an important line to draw and a conversation worth having. [The producers] all feel it’s a risk worth taking,” he explained.
“The producers said they’re not going to do ‘Gone with the Wind‘ 2017. It’s not whips and plantations. What they envision is what a modern-day version of slavery would look like,” Bloys added.
This might be little relief to those who fear the entire intention of the show is off base, but it’s clear everyone involved is well aware of how sensitive the material they’re handling is. “Confederate” is expected to go into production after “Game Of Thrones” wraps next year. [USA Today/Deadline]