Netflix has been accused of “blackwashing” the new Jada Pinkett Smith-produced docu-series Queen Cleopatra by casting a black British actress as a historic Macedonian Greek ruler – sparking anger in Egypt.

Netflix has been accused of “blackwashing” the story by casting a black actress as Cleopatra in a new documentary about the historic Macedonian Greek ruler.

African Queens: Queen Cleopatra stars British actress Adele James as the Egyptian ruler. Producer Jada Pinkett Smith said she wanted to tell the story because “we don’t often see or hear stories about black queens.”

But the trailer, released last week, sparked a furious backlash over claims that Cleopatra was black with “curly hair”. One historian claims, “I remember my grandmother telling me, I don’t care what they tell you in school, Cleopatra was black.”

Egyptians reacted with horror to the rejection of documents proving that Cleopatra was Macedonian-Greek. An Egyptian lawyer filed a complaint with the country’s prosecutor’s office demanding that Netflix be shut down.

Cairo’s former minister of antiquities, Zahi Hawass, has meanwhile condemned the documentary as “completely false”. Cleopatra was Greek, which means she had fair skin, not black.”

Controversy: The show, which airs on May 10, portrays Cleopatra as black, although historical records show she was of Macedonian-Greek descent

Hawass said the only rulers of Egypt known to be black were the Cushitic kings of the 25th Dynasty (747-656 BC).

“Netflix is ​​trying to sow confusion by spreading false and misleading facts that the origins of Egyptian civilization are black,” he added, urging his countrymen to take a stand against the streaming giant.

Lawyer Mahmoud al-Semary filed a complaint with prosecutors on Sunday, demanding that he take “necessary legal steps” to block access to Netflix.

He claimed the show contained content that violated Egyptian media laws and accused Netflix of encouraging “Afrocentric thinking … including slogans and writing aimed at distorting and erasing Egyptian identity.”

The four-part series examines the legacy, intellect and life of Cleopatra VII, the Greek queen of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC.

The trailer notes that Cleopatra belonged to the Ptolemaic dynasty, but then denies her parentage.

“Maybe she was Egyptian,” says one expert, while another adds: “I remember my grandmother telling me, ‘I don’t care what they tell you in school, Cleopatra was black.’

The official two-minute trailer, which was uploaded on April 12, has already been viewed more than 1.9 million times on YouTube.

Meanwhile, Netflix was forced to disable comments on the official trailer after it sparked controversy.

A Change.org petition to cancel the show has garnered more than 3,000 signatures. A previous petition – which has been removed – had more than 62,000 signatures.

Writer Kemi Owonibi tweeted: “For the umpteenth time, the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra was not Egyptian.

“She was Greek! Cleopatra VII was white – of Macedonian descent, like all Ptolemaic rulers who lived in Egypt.’

Backlash: Twitter users reacted angrily after seeing the trailer, with one calling it stealing Egyptian history.

Another added: “Netflix is ​​- again – black and was a historically white character, this time it’s Queen Cleopatra who turned into a black woman, even though we knew she was white – of Macedonian/Greek descent , just like.” of the Ptolemaic dynasty.’

A third said: “Cleopatra was NOT black, she was the Greek Queen of Egypt and is a great link between Greek and Egyptian civilizations.”

Egyptian actress and singer Somaya Elkhashab tweeted: “To identify Queen Cleopatra as black because she fulfills modern African-American fantasies is pure theft of Egyptian history and at the same time an attempt to rewrite history’s greats.

“Blackwashing a Greek queen demonstrates obsession with white women, and will do nothing to stop racism.”

However, another said: “Well it looks like Jada Pinkett Smith is making people nervous about her upcoming documentary on Netflix. It’s called #QueenCleopatra and it will air on May 10th.

“The problem is that Cleopatra is portrayed as a black woman and some people don’t like that. I personally can’t wait to see it!’

Cleopatra was famously played by white English actress Elizabeth Taylor opposite Richard Burton as Mark Anthony in Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s 1963 historical epic.

Three years ago, plans for a new film about the queen, starring Israeli actress Gal Gadot, sparked a backlash from people who insisted the role should go to an Egyptian or African actress.

Starring: Adele James, 37, plays Cleopatra and has previously warned people not to watch the show if they don’t like the cast

Gadot defended the decision, saying: “We were looking for a Macedonian actress to match Cleopatra. She wasn’t there and I had a huge passion for Cleopatra.”

Cleopatra was the consort of Alexander the Great, known for her marriages and relationships with Marc Antony and Julius Caesar.

Her first language was Greek, although she was the only Ptolemaic ruler to use the Egyptian language.

Actress Adele James previously responded by telling people not to watch the show if they don’t like the cast.

She tweeted: “FYI this type of behavior will not be tolerated because of me. You will be blocked without hesitation!!! If you don’t like the cast, don’t watch the show.

‘Or make and incorporate a different (expert) opinion than yours. Anyway, I’m GASSED and always will be!’

The official synopsis reads: “From executive producer Jada Pinkett Smith comes a new documentary series about the lives of prominent and iconic African queens.

This season stars Cleopatra, the world’s most famous, powerful and misunderstood woman – a daring queen whose beauty and romance eclipsed her true asset: her intellect.

Cleopatra’s legacy has been the subject of much academic debate, often ignored by Hollywood. Now our series is re-evaluating this fascinating part of his story.”

DailyMail.com has reached out to Netflix and Pinkett Smith’s production company for comment.

Queen Cleopatra is available to stream on Netflix from May 10.