Netflix being sued for depicting Cleopatra as Black in new documentary

An Egyptian lawyer has filed a case against Netflix due to its portrayal of Cleopatra in its upcoming docudrama series.

Queen Cleopatra stars American actress Jada Pinkett Smith as Cleopatra. According to the synopsis: “As Egypt's last pharaoh, Cleopatra fights to protect her throne, family and legacy in this docuseries featuring reenactments and expert interviews.”

Take a look at the trailer for Queen Cleopatra below.

However, as reported by the Egypt Independent, lawyer Mahmoud al-Semary has filed a case via the Public Prosecutor in an attempt to shut Netflix down in Egypt over the documentary, due to the decision to cast a Black actress as Cleopatra. He has described it as a “crime”, blamed the Netflix management team, and has stated that he wants legal action to be taken against the people who made it.

“Most of what Netflix platform displays do not conform to Islamic and societal values and principles, especially Egyptian ones,” the complaint reads (via Egypt Independent). Reportedly, the case states that the documentary promotes Afrocentrism and contradicts Egyptian history.

The complaint continues: “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.”

Zahi Hawass, the former Egyptian antiquities minister, claimed that portraying Cleopatra as a Black woman is “falsifying facts”, and said: “This is completely fake. Cleopatra was Greek, meaning that she was blonde, not Black.”

As NME reports, Israeli actress Gal Gadot previously faced criticism after she was cast in the upcoming film Cleopatra. She told the BBC in 2020: “First of all if you want to be true to the facts then Cleopatra was Macedonian. We were looking for a Macedonian actress that could fit Cleopatra. She wasn’t there, and I was very passionate about Cleopatra.”

Queen Cleopatra is currently set to release on Netflix on 10 May.