An Egyptian lawyer has filed a lawsuit against Netflix over the streaming giant’s upcoming docudrama series Queen Cleopatra. The attorney accused the streaming company of "erasing the Egyptian identity" after depicting the famed Ancient Egyptian ruler as a black woman.
Mahmoud al-Semary is demanding that legal action be taken against those responsible for the making of the series, as well as demanding a thorough investigation of the process and that the platform be shut down completely in the country, according to the Egypt Independent.
"Most of what Netflix platform displays do not conform to Islamic and societal values and principles, especially Egyptian ones," the complaint stated.
The complaint added that the series’ trailer, which currently has 2.6 million views on YouTube, contradicts Egyptian history and promotes Afrocentrism.
"In order to preserve the Egyptian national and cultural identity among Egyptians all over the world there must be pride in the makings of such work," the complaint stated.
The series, produced by Jada Pinkett Smith, cast British actress Adele James, who is of mixed race, as the ancient ruler.
According to Newsweek, Pinkett Smith said of the series, "We don't often get to see or hear stories about Black queens, and that was really important for me, as well as for my daughter, and just for my community to be able to know those stories because there are tons of them!"
Historians and experts say that Cleopatra, known officially as Cleopatra VII and who ruled during the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, was of Macedonian heritage and was likely fair-skinned. Other scholars have argued that the ruler may have had additional ancestries and may not have been fair-skinned. Liz Taylor played Cleopatra in a film of the same name in 1963.
Kathryn Bard, professor of archaeology and classical studies at Boston University, told Newsweek that "we don't know what color Cleopatra's skin was and unless her mummy is found (unlikely) and DNA can be analyzed from it, we will never know."
"Her father was a Ptolemy of Macedonian descent, but it's less certain who her mother was. But even a so-called docudrama is bound to fictionalize much of her life—for entertainment's sake," Bard added.
The series, which premieres on May 10, is described by Netflix: "As Egypt's last pharaoh, Cleopatra fights to protect her throne, family and legacy in this docudrama featuring reenactments and expert interviews."
