It looks like Gone with the Wind won't be gone from HBO Max for very long.
The WarnerMedia streaming service this week temporarily removed the classic 1939 Civil War film from its library due to its "racist depictions," saying it would bring it back at a later date with "a discussion of its historical context and a denouncement of those very depictions."
That later date might be pretty soon, as The Washington Post is reporting the film could return "in less than a week," with "a new introduction from a prominent African American studies scholar" added. It's not clear which scholar will provide the introduction, but they'll reportedly "discuss the movie's accuracy, its portrayals, and the issues and problems those depictions create." This intro will reportedly be shot in the next several days. If that timeline works out, the movie might only end up not being available to stream on HBO Max for about one week.
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HBO Max's decision to temporarily pull Gone with the Wind came after 12 Years a Slave screenwriter John Ridley advocated for removing it for now in a column for the Los Angeles Times. According to the Post, HBO Max executives "began discussing the issue a week ago," but that column "hastened" the move.
Though HBO Max's decision drew some criticism, including accusations of censorship from Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas.), the film remained available on other platforms and quickly shot up on the Amazon charts. And aside from the new context being added, Gone with the Wind will still "be presented as it was originally created," an HBO Max spokesperson said, as "to do otherwise would be the same as claiming these prejudices never existed."
