Denzel Washington being cast in Antoine Fuqua’s upcoming Netflix movie as ancient Carthaginian general Hannibal is sparking some controversy in Tunisia, the home country of the great military commander.
According to French newspaper Courrier International, there are complaints about depicting the Carthaginian general as a Black African being made in the media and the Tunisian parliament. Member of Parliament Yassine Mami has pointed out that Hannibal, who was born in 247 BC in Carthage – now known as Tunis, the Tunisian capital – was of West Asian Semitic origin. “There is a risk of falsifying history: we need to take position on this subject,” the Tunisian politician reportedly stated.
Concurrently, French-language Tunisian newspaper La Presse has published an editorial in which it similarly objects that depicting Hannibal as a Black African is “according to Tunisians and many observers, a historical error.”
However, Tunisian culture minister Hayet Ketat-Guermazi had a different, more pragmatic take on the matter.
According to French newspaper Courrier International, there are complaints about depicting the Carthaginian general as a Black African being made in the media and the Tunisian parliament. Member of Parliament Yassine Mami has pointed out that Hannibal, who was born in 247 BC in Carthage – now known as Tunis, the Tunisian capital – was of West Asian Semitic origin. “There is a risk of falsifying history: we need to take position on this subject,” the Tunisian politician reportedly stated.
Concurrently, French-language Tunisian newspaper La Presse has published an editorial in which it similarly objects that depicting Hannibal as a Black African is “according to Tunisians and many observers, a historical error.”
However, Tunisian culture minister Hayet Ketat-Guermazi had a different, more pragmatic take on the matter.
- 12/11/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Newen Connect is jumping on the Cleopatra bandwagon by leading its Sunny Side of the Doc slate with a documentary about the last queen of Egypt.
Cleopatra: Cracking the Enigma helms an eight-strong slate being shopped this week at the La Rochelle confab, as Newen attempts to exert dominance in the international doc market.
The four-part show for French network Rmc Découverte, which is produced by Label News, is based on unprecedented excavations and shows never-before-seen footage of attempts to lift the veil on the mysterious life of the iconic Egyptian ruler.
Cracking the Enigma comes fresh off the back of Netflix’s Queen Cleopatra docudrama, which generated headlines due to controversies surrounding the ethnicity of the lead, Adele James.
Speaking to Deadline, Newen Head of Factual Distribution Chloé Persyn said the distributor is not trying to ride the wave of the Netflix show’s controversy but instead take...
Cleopatra: Cracking the Enigma helms an eight-strong slate being shopped this week at the La Rochelle confab, as Newen attempts to exert dominance in the international doc market.
The four-part show for French network Rmc Découverte, which is produced by Label News, is based on unprecedented excavations and shows never-before-seen footage of attempts to lift the veil on the mysterious life of the iconic Egyptian ruler.
Cracking the Enigma comes fresh off the back of Netflix’s Queen Cleopatra docudrama, which generated headlines due to controversies surrounding the ethnicity of the lead, Adele James.
Speaking to Deadline, Newen Head of Factual Distribution Chloé Persyn said the distributor is not trying to ride the wave of the Netflix show’s controversy but instead take...
- 6/19/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
When I was recently spending time with my 5-year-old nephew, he asked me, "When you were a kid, did you have your own phone?"
Startled by the question, initially I wasn't sure how to answer him. As a Gen Xer who grew up in the 1980s and '90s, my concept of a phone when I was his age was completely different from his today. "Nobody had their own phone," I replied. "Cell phones did not exist when I was your age."
As he opened his mouth wide in disbelief, I was reminded of reignited debates around Cleopatra's race that have emerged with Netflix's depiction of Egypt's last pharaoh in "Queen Cleopatra." This docuseries is part of the African Queens collection, with Jada Pinkett-Smith as executive producer. "Queen Cleopatra" stars Adele James - a light brown-skinned British actress who has a white mother and a Black father - as the famous monarch.
Startled by the question, initially I wasn't sure how to answer him. As a Gen Xer who grew up in the 1980s and '90s, my concept of a phone when I was his age was completely different from his today. "Nobody had their own phone," I replied. "Cell phones did not exist when I was your age."
As he opened his mouth wide in disbelief, I was reminded of reignited debates around Cleopatra's race that have emerged with Netflix's depiction of Egypt's last pharaoh in "Queen Cleopatra." This docuseries is part of the African Queens collection, with Jada Pinkett-Smith as executive producer. "Queen Cleopatra" stars Adele James - a light brown-skinned British actress who has a white mother and a Black father - as the famous monarch.
- 6/8/2023
- by Chinyere Osuji
- Popsugar.com
“Queen Cleopatra,” Netflix’s four-part documentary on perhaps the most famous Queen of Egypt, has been very poorly reviewed.
On Rotten Tomatoes it currently has a tomatometer score of 10%, meaning official reviews have been terrible. But it also has a 2% audience score, meaning that the overwhelming majority of non-professional users who bothered reviewing the show themselves hated it too.
But no doubt you’ve seen by now how the show’s star and creators have had to push back against much of the reaction to the show, and the star herself has been harassed. So what’s going on?
It’s complex, but in short, while yes, there are sincere critiques of the show’s historical inaccuracies and the production itself, there is also a separate backlash that is unmistakably racist. Let’s dive in.
Racism
“Queen Cleopatra” focuses on many of the things people know about her. Her rise to power in Egypt,...
On Rotten Tomatoes it currently has a tomatometer score of 10%, meaning official reviews have been terrible. But it also has a 2% audience score, meaning that the overwhelming majority of non-professional users who bothered reviewing the show themselves hated it too.
But no doubt you’ve seen by now how the show’s star and creators have had to push back against much of the reaction to the show, and the star herself has been harassed. So what’s going on?
It’s complex, but in short, while yes, there are sincere critiques of the show’s historical inaccuracies and the production itself, there is also a separate backlash that is unmistakably racist. Let’s dive in.
Racism
“Queen Cleopatra” focuses on many of the things people know about her. Her rise to power in Egypt,...
- 5/18/2023
- by Mason Bissada
- The Wrap
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s first scripted TV series, the Jennifer Lopez-starring action film The Mother and documentaries featuring Anna Nicole Smith and Barack Obama are among the high-profile projects hitting Netflix this month.
At the end of May, the streamer is dropping the Schwarzenegger-starring spy comedy Fubar, in which the former California governor and Top Gun: Maverick’s Monica Barbaro play a father and daughter who discover they’ve each been secretly working as CIA operatives as they’re forced to team up and get to know each other’s true selves.
And earlier this month, in time for Mother’s Day, Lopez plays an assassin who emerges from hiding to protect a daughter she gave up for adoption years earlier in The Mother, streaming this Friday. The Niki Caro-directed action movie also stars Joseph Fiennes, Lucy Paez, Omari Hardwick, Paul Raci and Gael Garcia Bernal and was written by Andrea Berloff,...
At the end of May, the streamer is dropping the Schwarzenegger-starring spy comedy Fubar, in which the former California governor and Top Gun: Maverick’s Monica Barbaro play a father and daughter who discover they’ve each been secretly working as CIA operatives as they’re forced to team up and get to know each other’s true selves.
And earlier this month, in time for Mother’s Day, Lopez plays an assassin who emerges from hiding to protect a daughter she gave up for adoption years earlier in The Mother, streaming this Friday. The Niki Caro-directed action movie also stars Joseph Fiennes, Lucy Paez, Omari Hardwick, Paul Raci and Gael Garcia Bernal and was written by Andrea Berloff,...
- 5/11/2023
- by Hilary Lewis
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Adele James, who plays the titular role in Netflix’s Queen Cleopatra docuseries, has addressed the controversy around the project after the Egyptian government criticized the portrayal of the country’s famous ruler as dark-skinned.
“Blackwashing isn’t a thing, is it?” the British actress told The Wayne Ayers Podcast on Wednesday about the controversy over Cleopatra’s race and heritage, which remains a hotly debated subject among historians. “I find it sad that people are either so self-loathing or so threatened by Blackness that they feel the need to do that, to separate Egypt from the rest of the continent,” the Casualty star added.
Netflix declined to comment on the docuseries’ creative choice to cast James, who is of mixed heritage, to play Cleopatra to reflect historical research that points to Egypt’s population in ancient times being multicultural and multiracial.
“Her ethnicity is not the focus of Queen Cleopatra,...
“Blackwashing isn’t a thing, is it?” the British actress told The Wayne Ayers Podcast on Wednesday about the controversy over Cleopatra’s race and heritage, which remains a hotly debated subject among historians. “I find it sad that people are either so self-loathing or so threatened by Blackness that they feel the need to do that, to separate Egypt from the rest of the continent,” the Casualty star added.
Netflix declined to comment on the docuseries’ creative choice to cast James, who is of mixed heritage, to play Cleopatra to reflect historical research that points to Egypt’s population in ancient times being multicultural and multiracial.
“Her ethnicity is not the focus of Queen Cleopatra,...
- 5/11/2023
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The proverb of “all press is good press” feels almost as old as the Nile. Yet it’s being put to the test this week via the release of Netflix’s African Queens: Cleopatra. The documentary is the second of three from the streaming service and executive producer Jada Pinkett Smith, both of whom have committed to spotlighting women rulers in African history by way of historical reenactments (or “docudrama”) which is then juxtaposed against interviews with talking heads and experts.
Yet the veracity of the documentary aspect of the film is being aggressively challenged after Netflix’s Cleopatra cast Black British actress Adele James as Cleopatra VII Philopator, the last pharaoh of Egypt and the end of the Ptolemaic dynasty. The trailer even rather proactively includes a line from one of its interviewees, Professor Shelley P. Haley of Hamilton College, who said her grandmother once told her, “I don...
Yet the veracity of the documentary aspect of the film is being aggressively challenged after Netflix’s Cleopatra cast Black British actress Adele James as Cleopatra VII Philopator, the last pharaoh of Egypt and the end of the Ptolemaic dynasty. The trailer even rather proactively includes a line from one of its interviewees, Professor Shelley P. Haley of Hamilton College, who said her grandmother once told her, “I don...
- 5/11/2023
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
The EP behind Netflix’s Queen Cleopatra docu-drama has defended the casting of an actor of mixed heritage descent in the title role, stating that Adele James reflects the “multicultural nature of ancient Egypt.”
With Queen Cleopatra premiering today as the second instalment of the African Queens series, Jane Root, who runs the Jada Pinkett Smith-narrated show’s production outfit Nutopia, said Netflix “asked us to promote a conversation and that’s just what has happened.”
The series has been generating headlines aplenty over the past weeks following the Egyptian government’s staunch criticism of James’ casting, with the government insisting that the ancient Queen was likely of Greek descent and would have been fair skinned. The discussion has been debated on the likes of The Daily Show and Piers Morgan’s Talk TV show and, according to the Egypt Independent, the government-backed al-Wathaeqya documentary channel has begun producing...
With Queen Cleopatra premiering today as the second instalment of the African Queens series, Jane Root, who runs the Jada Pinkett Smith-narrated show’s production outfit Nutopia, said Netflix “asked us to promote a conversation and that’s just what has happened.”
The series has been generating headlines aplenty over the past weeks following the Egyptian government’s staunch criticism of James’ casting, with the government insisting that the ancient Queen was likely of Greek descent and would have been fair skinned. The discussion has been debated on the likes of The Daily Show and Piers Morgan’s Talk TV show and, according to the Egypt Independent, the government-backed al-Wathaeqya documentary channel has begun producing...
- 5/10/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
A government-owned Egyptian broadcaster has responded to controversy over the casting of a Black actress to play Cleopatra in the Netflix docudrama series “African Queens,” which streams from May 10, by announcing production of its own big-budget Cleopatra doc.
The fact that Britain’s Adele James, who is of mixed heritage, plays the first-century Egyptian ruler as a queen with African roots in the Netflix original produced by Jada Pinkett Smith has been sparking an uproar in Egypt. Ever since the trailer dropped last month local academics and others are claiming that Cleopatra, who was born in the Egyptian city of Alexandria in 69 BC and belonged to a Greek-speaking dynasty, was of European descent and not Black.
In response to what they claim is Netflix’s falsification of Egypt’s history, the Al Wathaeqya channel – which is a subsidiary of Egypt’s state-affiliated United Media Services – has announced start of production...
The fact that Britain’s Adele James, who is of mixed heritage, plays the first-century Egyptian ruler as a queen with African roots in the Netflix original produced by Jada Pinkett Smith has been sparking an uproar in Egypt. Ever since the trailer dropped last month local academics and others are claiming that Cleopatra, who was born in the Egyptian city of Alexandria in 69 BC and belonged to a Greek-speaking dynasty, was of European descent and not Black.
In response to what they claim is Netflix’s falsification of Egypt’s history, the Al Wathaeqya channel – which is a subsidiary of Egypt’s state-affiliated United Media Services – has announced start of production...
- 5/10/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Queen Cleopatra is a Netflix documentary directed by Tina Gharavi and Victoria Adeola Thomas, starring Adele James, Craig Russell and Jada Pinkett Smith.
Do you remember the Joseph L. Mankiewicz movie, Cleopatra, starring Elisabeth Taylor? Well, absolutely nothing to do with it.
A documentary series that follows in the footsteps of African Queens: Njinga in its treatment and approach to dramatized documentary.
Queen Cleopatra About the series
To say it with (much) subtlety: the series is not a ten, nor a seven… from there, let’s go down and let everyone places it where they want. A series that undoubtedly lacks the means to recreate the grandeur of Ancient Egypt and that, without the actors or the imagination of I, Claudius (the mythical BBC series) pretends to do something similar, but with not enough resources for the choice of a subject so… grandiose.
And with such a brutal and imperial...
Do you remember the Joseph L. Mankiewicz movie, Cleopatra, starring Elisabeth Taylor? Well, absolutely nothing to do with it.
A documentary series that follows in the footsteps of African Queens: Njinga in its treatment and approach to dramatized documentary.
Queen Cleopatra About the series
To say it with (much) subtlety: the series is not a ten, nor a seven… from there, let’s go down and let everyone places it where they want. A series that undoubtedly lacks the means to recreate the grandeur of Ancient Egypt and that, without the actors or the imagination of I, Claudius (the mythical BBC series) pretends to do something similar, but with not enough resources for the choice of a subject so… grandiose.
And with such a brutal and imperial...
- 5/10/2023
- by TV Shows Martin Cid Magazine
- Martin Cid - TV
Queen Cleopatra is a towering figure in world history who was immortalized by Shakespeare in his tragic play Antony & Cleopatra, a love story of two powerful leaders who succumbed to love and jealousy, or is that what the famous playwright meant through his literature? When we think of Queen Cleopatra, we think of the unmatched beauty of Egypt, who bathed in milk, and we think of Elizabeth Taylor encapsulating the beauty of the Pharaoh in such a way that it is still hard to imagine another actor in the role other than the iconic Hollywood actress. But the new Netflix Original documentary series about the famous Queen of Egypt is not interested in talking just about the doomed love story. Directors Tina Gharavi and Victoria Adeola Thomas tell us the tale of the politician and leader that the Queen was, who managed to stay strong till the end.
The documentary begins with an American professor,...
The documentary begins with an American professor,...
- 5/10/2023
- by Smriti Kannan
- Film Fugitives
Egypt’s Supreme Council Of Antiquities (Sca) has added its voice to the row over the portrayal of Cleopatra as a Black woman in Netflix’s upcoming docudrama Queen Cleopatra.
The casting of actress Adele James, who is of mixed heritage, as the iconic Ancient Egypt ruler has caused a furore in Egypt where the subject of Cleopatra’s ethnicity is a sensitive subject.
The show, which is executive produced and narrated by Jada Pinkett Smith, is due to launch on Netflix on May 10.
The 160-year-old Sca, which is responsible for Egypt’s cultural heritage and all its archaeological sites, put out a press release on Thursday giving its reaction to the portrayal of Cleopatra with “African features and dark skin”.
“The Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities confirms that Queen Cleopatra had light skin and Hellenistic (Greek) features,” the body said in the statement posted on the...
The casting of actress Adele James, who is of mixed heritage, as the iconic Ancient Egypt ruler has caused a furore in Egypt where the subject of Cleopatra’s ethnicity is a sensitive subject.
The show, which is executive produced and narrated by Jada Pinkett Smith, is due to launch on Netflix on May 10.
The 160-year-old Sca, which is responsible for Egypt’s cultural heritage and all its archaeological sites, put out a press release on Thursday giving its reaction to the portrayal of Cleopatra with “African features and dark skin”.
“The Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities confirms that Queen Cleopatra had light skin and Hellenistic (Greek) features,” the body said in the statement posted on the...
- 4/28/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
“African Queens: Queen Cleopatra” director Tina Gharavi is addressing the casting of biracial Black actress Adele James as the titular Greek-Egyptian ruler.
The trailer for Netflix docuseries “Queen Cleopatra” caused a stir and led to allegations that the streamer was “blackwashing” the heritage of Queen Cleopatra VII. Egyptian scholars claim that Cleopatra, who was born in Egyptian city Alexandria in 69 Bce, was born of European descent and not Black. Historians have confirmed that Cleopatra was Macedonian-Greek on her father Ptolemy Xii’s side but her mother’s ethnic origin is unknown.
Egyptian lawyer Mahmoud al-Semary filed a complaint with the nation’s public prosecutor to request that Netflix be blocked in Egypt due to the promotion of “Afrocentric thinking” including “slogans and writings aimed at distorting and erasing the Egyptian identity.” Two petitions to “Cancel Netflix’s ‘Queen Cleopatra’” circulated with more than 88,000 signatures combined.
“Queen Cleopatra” director Gharavi spoke...
The trailer for Netflix docuseries “Queen Cleopatra” caused a stir and led to allegations that the streamer was “blackwashing” the heritage of Queen Cleopatra VII. Egyptian scholars claim that Cleopatra, who was born in Egyptian city Alexandria in 69 Bce, was born of European descent and not Black. Historians have confirmed that Cleopatra was Macedonian-Greek on her father Ptolemy Xii’s side but her mother’s ethnic origin is unknown.
Egyptian lawyer Mahmoud al-Semary filed a complaint with the nation’s public prosecutor to request that Netflix be blocked in Egypt due to the promotion of “Afrocentric thinking” including “slogans and writings aimed at distorting and erasing the Egyptian identity.” Two petitions to “Cancel Netflix’s ‘Queen Cleopatra’” circulated with more than 88,000 signatures combined.
“Queen Cleopatra” director Gharavi spoke...
- 4/23/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
The director of “Queen Cleopatra” is addressing critics.
Last week, Netflix released the trailer for the new drama-documentary series about the iconic Queen of Egypt and drew intense backlash for casting a Black actress as Cleopatra. The series is executive produced and narrated by Jada Pinkett Smith.
Read More: Gal Gadot Defends ‘Cleopatra’ Casting Against ‘Whitewashing’ Backlash
Writing for Variety, director Tina Gharavi, who is Iranian, directly took on criticisms, recalling, “I remember as a kid seeing Elizabeth Taylor play Cleopatra. I was captivated, but even then, I felt the image was not right. Was her skin really that white?”
It is not known exactly what the real Cleopatra looked like, and heritage has long been a source of debate, often attributed to Macedonian Greeks, but with some claiming Persian and other backgrounds.
“Doing the research, I realized what a political act it would be to see Cleopatra portrayed by a Black actress,...
Last week, Netflix released the trailer for the new drama-documentary series about the iconic Queen of Egypt and drew intense backlash for casting a Black actress as Cleopatra. The series is executive produced and narrated by Jada Pinkett Smith.
Read More: Gal Gadot Defends ‘Cleopatra’ Casting Against ‘Whitewashing’ Backlash
Writing for Variety, director Tina Gharavi, who is Iranian, directly took on criticisms, recalling, “I remember as a kid seeing Elizabeth Taylor play Cleopatra. I was captivated, but even then, I felt the image was not right. Was her skin really that white?”
It is not known exactly what the real Cleopatra looked like, and heritage has long been a source of debate, often attributed to Macedonian Greeks, but with some claiming Persian and other backgrounds.
“Doing the research, I realized what a political act it would be to see Cleopatra portrayed by a Black actress,...
- 4/21/2023
- by Corey Atad
- ET Canada
Last summer, I was living in Venice Beach and had decided, due to a friend’s persistence, to visit a fortune teller. Me, ever the sceptic but game for a laugh, agreed to go along. What the fortune teller said made me roll my eyes: “I am not saying you are Cleopatra but somehow you share her story and are connected.”
Less than a month later, I got a call from a production company making Jada Pinkett Smith’s “African Queens” and was subsequently hired to direct four episodes of a drama-documentary on the life of the controversial leader. The joke was on me.
I remember as a kid seeing Elizabeth Taylor play Cleopatra. I was captivated, but even then, I felt the image was not right. Was her skin really that white? With this new production, could I find the answers about Cleopatra’s heritage and release her from...
Less than a month later, I got a call from a production company making Jada Pinkett Smith’s “African Queens” and was subsequently hired to direct four episodes of a drama-documentary on the life of the controversial leader. The joke was on me.
I remember as a kid seeing Elizabeth Taylor play Cleopatra. I was captivated, but even then, I felt the image was not right. Was her skin really that white? With this new production, could I find the answers about Cleopatra’s heritage and release her from...
- 4/21/2023
- by Tina Gharavi
- Variety Film + TV
“African Queens: Queen Cleopatra” is coming under fire for casting a Black biracial actress as the titular Greek-Egyptian ruler.
The docuseries, which premieres May 10, has been slammed for allegedly “blackwashing” the heritage of Queen Cleopatra VII. Egyptian scholars claim that Cleopatra, who was born in Egyptian city Alexandria in 69 Bce, was born of European descent and not Black. Scholars have confirmed that Cleopatra was Macedonian-Greek on her father Ptolemy Xii’s side but her mother’s ethnic origin is unknown. Actress Adele James portrays Cleopatra in the series.
Egyptian lawyer Mahmoud al-Semary filed a complaint with the nation’s public prosecutor to request that Netflix be blocked in Egypt due to the promotion of “Afrocentric thinking” including “slogans and writings aimed at distorting and erasing the Egyptian identity.”
Al-Semary alleged that “Queen Cleopatra” violates Egyptian media laws. Egyptologist Zahi Hawass was also quoted by the al-Masry al-Youm newspaper saying that...
The docuseries, which premieres May 10, has been slammed for allegedly “blackwashing” the heritage of Queen Cleopatra VII. Egyptian scholars claim that Cleopatra, who was born in Egyptian city Alexandria in 69 Bce, was born of European descent and not Black. Scholars have confirmed that Cleopatra was Macedonian-Greek on her father Ptolemy Xii’s side but her mother’s ethnic origin is unknown. Actress Adele James portrays Cleopatra in the series.
Egyptian lawyer Mahmoud al-Semary filed a complaint with the nation’s public prosecutor to request that Netflix be blocked in Egypt due to the promotion of “Afrocentric thinking” including “slogans and writings aimed at distorting and erasing the Egyptian identity.”
Al-Semary alleged that “Queen Cleopatra” violates Egyptian media laws. Egyptologist Zahi Hawass was also quoted by the al-Masry al-Youm newspaper saying that...
- 4/20/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Netflix’s upcoming docu-drama “Queen Cleopatra”, in which Adele James, who is of mixed heritage, plays the first-century Egyptian ruler as a queen with African roots, is sparking an uproar in Egypt, reports ‘Variety’.
Egyptian academics are claiming that Cleopatra, who was born in the Egyptian city of Alexandria in 69 Bce and belonged to a Greek-speaking dynasty, was of European descent and not Black.
An Egyptian lawyer has reportedly filed a complaint demanding that legal measures are taken to block Netflix outright in Egypt, to prevent the show from airing, ‘Variety’ adds. The lawyer claims that the docudrama, which drops on May 10, violates the country’s media laws.
On the choice of casting Adele James as Cleopatra, Netflix’s promotional website Tudum in February quoted Jada Pinkett Smith, the show’s executive producer, as saying that since the queen’s heritage has been the subject of an academic debate, it...
Egyptian academics are claiming that Cleopatra, who was born in the Egyptian city of Alexandria in 69 Bce and belonged to a Greek-speaking dynasty, was of European descent and not Black.
An Egyptian lawyer has reportedly filed a complaint demanding that legal measures are taken to block Netflix outright in Egypt, to prevent the show from airing, ‘Variety’ adds. The lawyer claims that the docudrama, which drops on May 10, violates the country’s media laws.
On the choice of casting Adele James as Cleopatra, Netflix’s promotional website Tudum in February quoted Jada Pinkett Smith, the show’s executive producer, as saying that since the queen’s heritage has been the subject of an academic debate, it...
- 4/20/2023
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
Netflix’s upcoming docudrama “Queen Cleopatra” in which Britain’s Adele James, who is of mixed heritage, plays the first-century Egyptian ruler as a queen with African roots is sparking an uproar in Egypt.
Egyptian academics are claiming that Cleopatra, who was born in the Egyptian city of Alexandria in 69 BC and belonged to a Greek-speaking dynasty, was of European descent and not Black. An Egyptian lawyer has reportedly filed a complaint demanding that legal measures are taken to block Netflix outright in Egypt, to prevent the show from airing. They claim the docudrama, which drops May 10, violates the country’s media laws.
Netflix did not immediately comment.
Regarding the choice of casting Adele James as Cleopatra, Netflix’s promotional website Tudum in February quoted Jada Pinkett Smith, who is the show’s executive producer, as saying that since the queen’s heritage has been debated, it was “a nod...
Egyptian academics are claiming that Cleopatra, who was born in the Egyptian city of Alexandria in 69 BC and belonged to a Greek-speaking dynasty, was of European descent and not Black. An Egyptian lawyer has reportedly filed a complaint demanding that legal measures are taken to block Netflix outright in Egypt, to prevent the show from airing. They claim the docudrama, which drops May 10, violates the country’s media laws.
Netflix did not immediately comment.
Regarding the choice of casting Adele James as Cleopatra, Netflix’s promotional website Tudum in February quoted Jada Pinkett Smith, who is the show’s executive producer, as saying that since the queen’s heritage has been debated, it was “a nod...
- 4/20/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Netflix has found itself at the centre of a debate over the casting of Cleopatra in a new documentary series.
Arriving on the streaming service in May, the four-part documentary Queen Cleopatra (a part of the African Queens series) will investigate the life of the Egyptian ruler.
The series is being narrated by actor Jada Pinkett Smith, who said that she wanted to use the show to “represent Black women”.
“We don’t often get to see or hear stories about Black queens… the sad part is that we don’t have ready access to these historical women who were so powerful and were the backbones of African nations,” she told Netflix’sTudum in February.
In Queen Cleopatra, the ruler is portrayed by Casualty star Adele James, who is biracial. Her casting has sparked debate in Egypt, due to the contested nature of the real-life Cleopatra’s racial identity.
Cleopatra...
Arriving on the streaming service in May, the four-part documentary Queen Cleopatra (a part of the African Queens series) will investigate the life of the Egyptian ruler.
The series is being narrated by actor Jada Pinkett Smith, who said that she wanted to use the show to “represent Black women”.
“We don’t often get to see or hear stories about Black queens… the sad part is that we don’t have ready access to these historical women who were so powerful and were the backbones of African nations,” she told Netflix’sTudum in February.
In Queen Cleopatra, the ruler is portrayed by Casualty star Adele James, who is biracial. Her casting has sparked debate in Egypt, due to the contested nature of the real-life Cleopatra’s racial identity.
Cleopatra...
- 4/20/2023
- by Isobel Lewis
- The Independent - TV
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