The creators of HBO's hit medieval fantasy "Game of Thrones" have their next show lined for the premium cable network, but this one has no dragons or an undead army of white walkers.
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 an original series called "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.
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The reveal drew condemnation from wide swaths of the internet, with many mocking the premise and Daily Beast writer Ira Madison calling the show "stupid as hell."
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.
