Netflix has cancelled the production of its latest Turkish original, If Only, amid pressure from local authorities to remove a gay character from the series.
Ece Yorenc, a Turkish screenwriter who wrote the script for the series, revealed that the drama was cancelled last week on the eve of filming because the government refused to grant a licence.
“Due to a gay character, permission to film the series was not granted and this is very frightening for the future,” Yorenc told the Turkish film news website Altyazi Fasikul translated by Financial Times.
According to Yörenç, the reason Netflix made this decision was that the company considered the changes in the original scenario against its principles after considering future projects.
“Netflix remains deeply committed to our Turkish members and the creative community in Turkey. We are proud of the incredible talent we work with. We currently have several Turkish originals in production — with more to come — and look forward to sharing these stories with our members all around the world,” a Netflix spokesperson was quoted as saying.
