There has been quite the loud brouhaha on the Internet and social media ever since HBO revealed the specifics of their next major series after “Game of Thrones.” This was “Confederate,” an alternate-history story depicting slavery as a modern institution in a divided United States on the brink of a third Civil War. The official pitch for the show, developed by “Thrones” creative tandem David Benioff and D.B Weiss, has been met with a lot of derision especially from the African-American community. Amid the exchange of criticism and assurances of non-stereotyped storytelling from HBO, Amazon has decided to show their own hand with a variation of the concept in a new series of their own.

A different take

Amazon, through its Studios and Video divisions, has long enjoyed success with their selection of original television programming made available to stream on demand. Coming from the success of their adaptation of “The Man in the High Castle,” Amazon Studios is preparing a treatment for a new alternate-history series with show-runners William Packer (“Straight Outta Compton”) and Aaron McGruder the creator of “Boondocks.” The proposed show, entitled “Black America,” comes across as a different take on the premise of HBO’s “Confederate” though it apparently has been in development for over a year already.

Black America,” according to a released blurb, takes place in a timeline where after the Union won the Civil War, it allots the Southern States of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama as sovereign territory for reparations to the newly-freed slave population.

With a country to call their own named New Colonia, the African-American former slaves go through a turbulent history of building themselves up as an independent people and nation, with the US alternating as a helpful and intrusive neighbor. In modern times, New Colonia becomes a newly-industrialized country while America’s economy begins to suffer.

This situation sows the seeds of a new socio-economic tension.

Before ‘Confederate’

The first announcement of “Black America” by Amazon Studios was made all the way back in February. It was only in the wake of the noise generated by “Confederate” that the show came back into the spotlight, with Will Packer revealing its premise on Tuesday, August 1.

He noted that it needed to be done to stress that their series has been long in development before the HBO show was first announced.

Asked about his opinion on “Confederate,” Packer elected not to address the show directly. He does remark that the fictional presentation of modern-times slavery being a shadow of the real institution hanging over everyone’s head. Amazon has yet to set a date to when “Black America” will appear.