Chinese social media is divided over Netflix's big-budget rendition of Liu Cixin's Three-Body Problem.
Three Body Problem, an eight-episode Netflix series, premiered Thursday. Based on Liu's grandiose sci-fi trilogy from the 1960s until the end of humanity, it is based on the first book.
The Netflix series was conceived by Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and DB Weiss, True Blood writer Alexander Woo, and Derek Tsang.
Even though Netflix is blocked in China, reactions have been mixed yet ubiquitous.
On Weibo, a 3 Body Problem hashtag had been read 2.23bn times and debated 1.424m times by Friday morning.
Netflix's move of a mostly Chinese plot to the UK with an international cast has drawn criticism. Others criticized the main character's gender shift (GQ stated Liu suggested it to the showrunners).
The series creators defend the casting. Netflix called 3 Body Problem “purposefully global in nature” across nations, cultures, and timelines.
Benioff: “We wanted people from all over the world. We sought to make this a broad, international cast to show that this isn't just one country's struggle to survive, but a worldwide one.