Five U.S. Republican Senators have asked Netflix to reconsider its decision to adapt the blockbuster novel The Three Body Problem by famous Chinese sci-fi author Liu Cixin, 57, shocked by his statements targeting Uighurs.
Revealed in early September, the project to adapt the sci-fi trilogy to a television series promises to be very ambitious. The platform notably associated the two creators of the series Game Of Thrones, David Benioff and DB Weiss, recruited at a gold price by Netflix.
“Propaganda”
Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn refers to comments the novelist made during an interview with the magazine The New Yorker, published in June 2019. Asked about the fate of the Uighur Muslim minority, subject to mass detention in internment camps, Liu Cixin defended the Chinese authorities. “Would you rather they cut people up in train stations or schools with terrorist attacks?” “, replied the novelist. “Rather, the government is helping their economy and trying to lift them out of poverty. “
“We are concerned about Netflix’s decision to work with an individual who is relaying the dangerous propaganda of the Chinese Communist Party”, wrote Senator Blackburn in a letter, dated Thursday, to Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos. The letter is not only due to the fact that it is an adaptation of the cult novel by Liu Cixin, but also that the author is directly associated with the project as a consultant.
“We ask Netflix to seriously reconsider” his decision and take into account “What it means to offer a platform to Mr. Liu by producing this project”, concludes the letter signed, besides by Marsha Blackburn, by her colleagues Rick Scott, Kevin Cramer, Thom Tillis and Martha McSally.
Netflix says Cixin’s book has nothing to do with his words
In a letter sent to senators on Friday and published by several American media, Netflix assured that he did not share his point of view, but also stressed that the book or the series did not have to do with his remarks.
“Mr. Liu is the author of the book, not the creator of the series”, replied Dean Garfield, vice president of Netflix for public affairs, in a letter posted by the site of Variety. “We do not agree with his statements, which have no connection with his book or the Netflix series”, he continued. The leader also recalled that Netflix had no activity in China.
The online video service has already been questioned recently by elected Republican officials for uploading the French film Cute, by Maïmouna Doucouré, accused of hypersexualizing young girls. The platform defended the film, explaining that it was a “Social chronicle” intended to show the dangers of this hypersexualization.
