'3 Body Problem' cast addresses whitewashing criticism from fans of the original Chinese novels

Amid early criticism and fears of whitewashing, the cast of the highly anticipated sci-fi series “3 Body Problem” says it does justice to the original Chinese novels.

Amid early criticism and fears of whitewashing, the cast of the highly anticipated sci-fi series “3 Body Problem” says it does justice to the original Chinese novels.

The Netflix series, developed by writer Alexander Woo and “Game of Thrones” creators David Benioff and Dan Weiss, follows a group of London-based scientists and authorities who band together to fight a seemingly ​​all-powerful extraterrestrial threat after a slew of suicides alarms the scientific community.

When the Netflix series was announced, many fans voiced concerns that the novels would be culturally and thematically diluted in the adaptation.

Based on Liu Cixin’s acclaimed “Remembrance of Earth’s Past” trilogy, the eight-episode show is a departure from the source novels, which set the time-spanning story in China beginning during the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s, a time of violent upheaval.

On Reddit, one user noted that separating the setting from the cultural context seemed “unnecessary and flagrant.” Another commented they had doubts about the adaptation being led by non-Asian creators who were “rightfully criticized for their treatment of both women and [people of color]” on “Game of Thrones.”

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/3-body-problem-cast-rcna144545

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