Whether you like the idea of it or not, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are back. The famous duo have adapted a sci-fi novel series which is coming soon to Netflix. Remembrance of Earth’s Past by Chinese writer Cixin Liu is better known as The Three-Body Problem, a title it takes from the first of the trilogy’s three novels.
Instead of throne room intrigue and dragons, this time around the Game of Thrones showrunners are focusing on an earth overshadowed by the threat of invasion from an alien civilisation. What do the mass deaths of the world’s best scientists have to do with a fateful decision made by an astrophysicist and how will these events affect the future of mankind?
Along with Benioff and Weiss, Alexander Woo is a co-creator of the new series, which will be directed by Derek Tsang.
What is the plot of Netflix’s new epic tale, and when will it drop on the service? Here’s all the key information on the upcoming adaptation of Cixin Liu’s trilogy.
If you’re interested in sci-fi inflected mystery TV, you might want to take a look at our round-up on Severance season 2.
When is 3 Body Problem’s release date?
David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, and Alexander Woo’s show will hit Netflix on Thursday, 21 March 2024.
3 Body Problem consists of 8 episodes.
What is the plot of 3 Body Problem?
The story begins in 1960s’ China, during the Cultural Revolution. A young astrophysicist, Ye Wenjie, witnesses the execution of her father. Years later, disillusioned with humanity, she makes a discovery that could change the fate of all mankind: there is intelligent life in space. However, the beings with whom the scientist makes contact are searching for a planet to colonise.
Created by writer Cixin Liu, the series consists of the novels The Three-Body Problem, The Dark Forest and Death’s End. The plot is spread over decades as humanity prepares for the inevitable invasion, and time jumps aren’t uncommon.
It’s unclear whether season 1 of the Netflix series is a screen adaptation of the first volume or whether it depicts the events of the whole trilogy, but our guess would be that they’ve left more to come.
Netflix
However, adapting the story was undoubtedly challenging, especially since the creators wanted to make it accessible to a broad audience.
As director Derek Tsang said (via Netflix):
The novel is written in Chinese, and it’s mainly Chinese characters on the page. It makes sense that because we’re adapting the story for our global audience, we’ve widened the scope and have more characters from all over the world. Author Cixin Liu gave us his blessing, and I think that David, Dan, and Alex did a great job in keeping what are essentially the best elements from the novel while also making it into a much more global, international story.
Alexander Woo added:
The experience of watching a television series is different from watching a feature film, [which] is so different from the experience of reading a novel. What we are hoping to do is to convey the experience — if not necessarily the exact details — of the novel onto the screen. What stayed, we hope, is the sense of wonderment and the sense of scope, of scale, where the problems are no longer just the problems of an individual or even a nation, but of an entire species.
Netflix
3 Body Problem cast
The series features lesser-known and perfectly familiar faces (including actors that Game of Thrones fans will quickly recognise). Here’s the list:
- Rosalind Chao – Ye Wenjie
- Benedict Wong – Da Shi
- John Bradley – Jack Rooney
- Jovan Adepo – Saul Durand
- Liam Cunningham – Thomas Wade
- Jonathan Pryce – Mike Evans
- Eiza González – Auggie Salazar
- Jess Hong – Jin Cheng
- Marlo Kelly – Tatiana
- Eve Ridley – Follower
- Alex Sharp – Will Downing
- Sea Shimooka – Sophon
3 Body Problem trailer
The first teaser of the series promises a journey into unknown worlds:
The official trailer teases dark mysteries and inexplicable events:
