“Game of Thrones” is a huge success. But now, its producers are looking towards their next project. “Confederate,” HBO’s controversial alternate history series, which will include dramatizations of modern-day slavery and has come under fire since its announcement earlier this month. Now social media users are protesting that new project ahead of tonight’s episode of “Game of Thrones.”
April Reign, the activist behind #OscarsSoWhite is one of the organizers of the protest which is asking people to tweet to @hbo using the hashtag #NoConfederate during the 9 p.m. East Coast and West Coast broadcasts of “Game of Thrones.” The series is being developed by “Game of Thrones” creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, who are white.
The pair invited husband and wife writer-producers Malcolm Spellman (“Empire”) and Nichelle Tramble Spellman (“The Good Wife”), who are black, to join the creative team for the show.
“We want to show HBO the power of social media of those who are against this show, and demonstrate that there is a unified voice against ‘Confederate,” Reign said. “Our objective is for HBO to cancel this idea and spend no more money on it.”
The show is certainly bringing a lot of attention but not the good kind. What do you think of the new project from the producers of Game of Thrones? Here are some reactions to the hashtag #NoConfederate.
ONE HOUR AWAY!! Start using #NoConfederate in all your tweets starting st 9pm ET. Please see my pinned tweet for a thread w/ all the info.
— April (@ReignOfApril) July 31, 2017
We don’t need $100 million “legacy TV” imagining neoconfederacy while Donald Trump is calling for cops to beat ppl up #NoConfederate
— Steven Thrasher (@thrasherxy) July 30, 2017
No. One. Needs. To. See. A. Show. That. Imagines. The. South. Winning.
We. Already. Live. In. The. Reality. #NoConfederate— Dr. WhoseMansIsThis? (@djbenhameen) July 30, 2017
Y’all – #NoConfederate isn’t just a boycott campaign- we’ll be posting threads from some really smart people abt the Civil War and after…
— ReBecca Theodore (@FilmFatale_NYC) July 30, 2017
#noconfederate instead of a racist wet dream, why not a show about how slavery or the mass genocide of Native Americans never happened?
— Wokeness Everdeen (@LexieS1723) July 30, 2017
It takes a very sadistic imagination to create a show that makes entertainment out of slavery never ending. Very sick. #NoConfederate
— Terrell J. Starr (@Russian_Starr) July 30, 2017
I’m glad #NoConfederate is a hashtag because white people have a sick obsession with seeing black people in chains for profit.
— Becca🕊 (@MJStarLover) July 30, 2017
#NoConfederate is more than a hashtag.
It’s a history lesson for those who feel threatened by black empowerment.
Read, listen, listen more.— Victoria Brownworth (@VABVOX) July 30, 2017
It all started last week when HBO issued a press release announcing their plans for a new TV series, Confederate, helmed by Game of Thrones show runners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss.
“As the brilliant Game of Thrones winds down to its final season, we are thrilled to be able to continue our relationship with Dan and David, knowing that any subject they take on will result in a unique and ambitious series,” said HBO president of original programming, Casey Bloys. “Their intelligent, wry and visually stunning approach to storytelling has a way of engaging an audience and taking them on an unforgettable journey. Confederate promises to be no exception, and we are honored to be adding the talented team of Nichelle and Malcolm Spellman to the mix.”
Last week Benioff, Weiss and the Spellmans responded to the criticisms in an article in Vulture, explaining the genesis of the idea and saying they expected initial reactions to be negative.
“It’s an ugly and a painful history,” said Weiss, who called slavery America’s “original sin.”
“But we all think this is a reason to talk about it, not a reason to run from it. And this feels like a potentially valuable way to talk about it.”
Photo Credit: HBO