Netflix defends 'Three-Body Problem' adaptation after criticism from five senators

Netflix is responding to recent criticism about its plans for a new series, "The Three-Body Problem," an adaptation of Chinese author Liu Cixin's trilogy of the same name, led by "Game of Thrones" creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss.

Five Republican senators sent a letter to Netflix's co-CEO and Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos Wednesday accusing the streaming platform of "normalizing" China's imprisonment and persecution of Uyghur Muslims by promoting the upcoming sci-fi drama.

In the letter, they urge Sarandos to consider canceling the series after Cixin defended the Chinese Communist Party's actions in a 2019 interview with The New Yorker. The letter was signed by Marsha Blackburn, Rick Scott, Martha McSally, Kevin Cramer and Thom Tillis.

"The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is committing atrocities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), also known as East Turkistan to locals, including mass imprisonment, forced labor, thought transformation in order to denounce religion and culture, involuntary medical testing, and forced sterilization and abortion. These crimes are committed systemically and at a scale which may warrant a distinction of genocide," the letter reads.

"The decision to produce an adaptation of Mr. Liu’s work can be viewed as such normalization."

'Three-Body Problem': 'Game of Thrones' creators Benioff and Weiss to adapt sci-fi epic 'Three-Body Problem' for Netflix

Netflix responded to the criticism Friday.

"Mr. Liu is a Chinese citizen living in China — he is the author of the books, not the creator of this Netflix series," Netflix's Vice President Dean Garfield said in a response letter to the senators, obtained by USA TODAY. "Netflix judges individual projects on their merits. We do not agree with his comments, which are entirely unrelated to his book or this Netflix show."

The statement also addresses the senators' questions about whether Netflix agrees that the "internment of 1.8 to 3 million Uyghurs... is unacceptable," to which Garfield responded "absolutely."

"We do not agree with his comments, which are entirely unrelated to his book or this Netflix show."

The news comes weeks after Disney's live-action remake of "Mulan" received backlash for filming partly in China's Xinjiang province, where there have been allegations of human rights abuses.

'Mulan' controversy: Congressional commission writes to Disney CEO Bob Chapek demanding answers

On Sept. 11, the Congressional-Executive Commission on China said on Twitter that it sent a bipartisan letter to Disney’s Chief Executive Officer, Bob Chapek, demanding answers about Disney’s dealings with the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR).

“Disney’s apparent cooperation with officials of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) who are most responsible for committing atrocities­ – or for covering up those crimes – is profoundly disturbing,” the letter reads.

Disney CFO Christine McCarthy addressed the criticism at a virtual Bank of America investor conference on Sept. 17, clarifying that the film was "primarily shot– almost the entirety – in New Zealand."

“In an effort to accurately depict some of the unique landscape and geography of the country of China for this historical period-piece drama, we filmed scenery in 20 different locations in China," McCarthy explained.

“Now, it’s common knowledge that in order to film in China, you have to be granted permission, and that permission comes from the central government’s publicity department. It’s also common knowledge in the film industry, and it’s a practice that is done throughout the world, to acknowledge in a film’s credits the national and local governments that allowed you to film there. And so, in our credits, it recognized both China, as well as locations in New Zealand.”

Contributing: Sara Moniuszko

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'The Three-Body Problem': Netflix defends sci-fi drama after criticism