It's time to wave bye-bye to the Confederate flag — from the "Dukes of Hazzard" car, at least.
That's right, in a somewhat controversial decision, Warner Bros., the studio that owns the theatrical, DVD and licensing rights to the franchise, has decided to remove the flag from all future versions of General Lee.
There's no official statement from the fictional cousins just yet, though a spokesperson from the "Dukes of Hazzard" toy company confirmed, "Starting January 1, 2013, all 'Dukes of Hazzard' General Lee vehicles will not be allowed to be produced with the Confederate flag on the top of the vehicle."
According to the toy rep, the order came directly from the powers-that-be at Warner Bros., which no longer wants to promote an item with the Confederate flag on it. Which, we kinda get, but still, we're talking about General Lee here — and we're pretty sure there are going to be many fans who aren't going to like this change.
Per ScreenCrush, this move only specifically includes merchandising, but, since the studio is currently developing a new "Dukes of Hazzard" movie (yes, another one!), it seems logical they might enforce the same "no flag" policy with the car in the upcoming flick.
We'll just have to wait and see whether this iconic car gets a brand new look, but in the meantime, can we just celebrate the fact that Jody Hill (of "Eastbound and Down" fame) is signed on to direct this next reboot? If anyone can bring these boys back to their original glory, we're pretty sure it's this guy— with the flag or not.
