There is a lot of buzz online among historians and Egyptians about Netflix's upcoming historical drama about Queen Cleopatra. Criticism has poured over the trailer since it premiered just under a week ago, prompting the streaming giant to shut down the ability to leave a comment on the video, which at the time of writing has more than 300,000 dislikes against 25,000 likes.
The reason behind all this hate and controversy is that Netflix and the series creators have chosen Adele James as the actress to portray the historical ruler. They are simply portraying her as having African roots and trying to market the show as if it is historically accurate. This claim is strongly opposed by academics and now the streaming giant is being accused of falsifying history.
Cleopatra, who was born in Alexandria, is claimed to belong to a Greek dynasty of European origin, and Netflix's attempt to sell its own truth has resulted in the company receiving several lawsuits from prominent individuals, not least historians in Egypt - as well as the country trying to block the show from being broadcast.
Jada Pinkett Smith, one of the show's producers, was quoted saying that she felt there wasn't enough entertainment with African queens, which was reportedly one of her inspirations for the project.
"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!"
Adele James herself, who plays Cleopatra, has hit back at critics online, asking those who don't like the casting to simply not watch the show.
What do you think of all this?