After the recent “Cuties” controversy, you’d think the conservative side of the aisle would take a break before launching another attack against Netflix. But nope, the conservatives are at it again, this time with the Republican Senators asking Netflix to cut ties with a Chinese writer who the studio is working with on the upcoming TV series, “The Three-Body Problem.”
When it was announced earlier this month, “The Three-Body Problem” seemed like it was shaping up to be one of the biggest series that Netflix has ever produced, with famed “Game of Thrones” showrunners David Benioff and DB Weiss writing and producing and Rian Johnson also on board as executive producer. The sci-fi series is also based on a best-selling novel by Chinese writer Liu Cixin. And you see, that’s where the GOP’s problem with the series spawns.
According to the letter sent to Netflix boss Ted Sarandos, five conservative Senators have a series of questions that they’d love for the company to answer. The problem has nothing to do with the content of the series, as the sci-fi series is a future story about humanity’s first contact with an alien civilization. Instead, the issues stem from comments made by the novel’s author, Liu Cixin.
As we spoke about when “Mulan” was released a few weeks ago, the topic of the mass incarceration of Uyghur Muslims in China’s northwestern province of Xinjiang became a sore subject for fans who were upset to see that Disney apparently was turning a blind eye to the horrific alleged crimes. And apparently, Liu, the author behind “The Three-Body Problem,” has gone on record giving Chinese Communist Party talking points about the issue.
In a previous interview with The New Yorker, Liu said about the Uyghur Muslims in China, “Would you rather that they be hacking away at bodies at train stations and schools in terrorist attacks? If anything, the government is helping their economy and trying to lift them out of poverty.”
The Senators listed a number of questions (rhetorical, of course) that they want Netflix to answer. The first question is, “Does Netflix agree that the Chinese Communist Party’s internment of 1.8 to 3 million Uyghurs in internment or labor camps based on their ethnicity is unacceptable?” Obviously, we all know the answer to this.
And another question is, “Does Netflix have a policy regarding entering into contracts with public-facing individuals who, either publically or privately, promote principles inconsistent with Netflix’s company culture and principles? If so, please outline this policy. If not, please explain why not.”
Obviously, Netflix has yet to respond to this open letter, but it’s clear that this is all part of the GOP’s recent issues with the streaming service and the ridiculous “Cuties” controversy. Also, with China becoming a major political topic in this year’s Presidential Election, the Republican party is hellbent on linking Hollywood (and thus Liberals, of course) with communism.
We’ll just have to wait and see if this affects the upcoming series, as it is apparent that Netflix is hoping that the sci-fi show is a future hit for the ‘Thrones’ showrunners.