Featured Image Credit: Netflix
Topics: Documentaries, Film and TV, Netflix, Jada Pinkett Smith, Twitter
Rhiannon Ingle
Topics: Documentaries, Film and TV, Netflix, Jada Pinkett Smith, Twitter
Netflix has seemingly been forced to turn comments off on the new Queen Cleopatra trailer after huge amounts of backlash online.
The latest documentary series to hit the streaming platform has clearly caused some waves on social media, so much so, that Netflix had to completely remove the option for people to weigh in on the trailer altogether.
But, that's not stopped critics from slamming the show elsewhere... Check it out:
The upcoming documentary follows Egypt's last pharaoh, Cleopatra, who fights to protect her throne, family and legacy.
The series features a whole array of reenactments alongside expert interviews to share a whole new side to the last active ruler of the Ptolemaic dynasty.
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Starring the likes of Adele James, Craig Russell and Jada Pinkett Smith, who also acted as executive producer, the official Netflix synopsis informs audiences that the doc will explore 'the lives of prominent and iconic African Queens'.
"This season will feature Cleopatra, the world’s most famous, powerful, and misunderstood woman," the synopsis explains.
Dubbing the historic figure a 'daring queen', the platform states that her 'beauty and romances came to overshadow her real asset: her intellect'.
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It notes: "Cleopatra’s heritage has been the subject of much academic debate, which has often been ignored by Hollywood.
"Now our series re-assesses this fascinating part of her story."
And it seems that this is exactly where the controversy lies.
The trailer, first uploaded last week (12 April), has already amassed more than 1.9 million views on YouTube.
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In the reenactment scenes, the show has decided to depict Queen Cleopatra as being Black which has led many people on social media to slam Netflix for 'Blackwashing' the historical figure.
Cleopatra has been recorded to have originated from Macedonian Greek heritage.
Common historical records show that her Macedonian Greek family, the Ptolemaic dynasty, had ruled over the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt for over three centuries.
"Despite not being ethnically Egyptian," History.com confirms, "Cleopatra embraced many of her country’s ancient customs and was the first member of the Ptolemaic line to learn the Egyptian language."
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The series chronicling the life of the Queen of the Nile has since sparked a storm online and even resulted in a Change.org petition calling for the show to be cancelled after 'falsfying history'.
Over 85,000 people from all across the globe signed the online petition in just two days, however, it has since been removed from the platform.
It read: "Cleopatra was born in Alexandria, Egypt in the Ptolemaic dynasty to Greek descent. She was NOT Black. This is in no way against Black people, and is simply a wake up call to preserve the history and the integrity of the Egyptians and the Greeks."
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And the backlash didn't stop there.
One Twitter user posted: "For the nth time, the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra was not an Egyptian. She was Greek! Cleopatra VII was white - of Macedonian descent, likewise all the Ptolemy rulers, who lived in Egypt.
"Netflix is making a show about a 'Black' Queen Cleopatra, who was Greek."
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Another added: "Netflix and Jada Pinkett Smith are promoting a documentary about Queen Cleopatra all wrong. She was Greek."
"Cleopatra was Greek, descendant of the Ptolemaic dynasty. End of story!!," echoed a third
Queen Cleopatra will be available to stream via Netflix on 10 May.
UNILAD has reached out to Netflix for comment.