Humanity is doomed in a new series from David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. That’s right, whether you like it or not, a new show by the creators of Game of Thrones has just been released on Netflix.
The famous duo has adapted a sci-fi novel series by Chinese writer Cixin Liu, Remembrance of Earth’s Past. The trilogy’s first volume, The Three-Body Problem, inspired the show’s title.
Instead of battles for the crown and fire-breathing dragons, the Game of Thrones showrunners are focusing on an Earth overshadowed by the threat of invasion from an alien civilisation. It follows the link between the deaths of the world’s best scientists and a fateful decision made by an astrophysicist, and how these events affect the future of mankind.
Along with Benioff and Weiss, Alexander Woo is a co-creator of the new series. It is directed by Derek Tsang.
Here’s all the key information on the upcoming adaptation of Cixin Liu’s trilogy.
If you’re interested in sci-fi/mystery TV, you might want to take a look at our round-up on Severance season 2 .
Netflix
When is 3 Body Problem’s release date?
The series is now available on Netflix. It consists of 8 episodes.
David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, and Alexander Woo’s show premiered on Thursday, 21 March 2024.
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 with 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.
Netflix
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.
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 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:
The final trailer for the series sheds some more light on the plot:
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Author: Weronika de Oliveira, Entertainment Writer, Tech Advisor
Weronika is an Entertainment Writer at Tech Advisor, where she covers topics related to TV shows, streaming, and movies. With an MA degree in Film Studies, her areas of expertise range from classical and postmodern cinema to contemporary films, series, and pop culture.
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