Confederate: Controversial slavery drama from Game of Thrones creators axed by HBO

TV series imagining that ‘slavery remains legal’ was met with widespread criticism upon its announcement in 2017

Confederate, a controversial slavery drama from the creators of Game of Thrones, has officially been axed by HBO.

The series, written by David Benioff and DB Weiss, imagines an alternate, post-Civil War world in which “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 was met with a huge backlash upon its announcement in 2017, with critics dismayed at the idea of two white men running a TV show about slavery. Some went as far as to call it “slavery fanfic”.

While HBO president Casey Bloys had originally said, “If you can get it right, there’s a real opportunity to advance the racial discussion in America," he has now confirmed to TVLine that the series will not be going ahead.

Benioff and DB Weiss, who have come under fire in the past for the lack of diversity in Game of Thrones, disembarked from the Star Wars trilogy they were set to develop last year.

Following a fierce bidding war, Netflix won an exclusive deal the writing duo in August last year, estimated to be worth $200m (£153m)