3 Body Problem: Everything we know about Game of Thrones creators’ Netflix show

Next up from Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss comes another adaptation of an acclaimed series as this time, renowned sci-fi trilogy starting with The 3 Body Problem is being given the live-action treatment.

Although the conclusion to HBO’s Game of Thrones couldn’t have been more divisive, there’s no denying the impact the overall series had. The show was a cultural phenomenon unlike anything before it with millions captivated by the realms and their inhabitants each and every season.

Having largely steered the ship from beginning to end was the duo of David Benioff and D.B. Wess. Ever since, they’ve mostly remained out of the spotlight following a false start on a trilogy of Star Wars films.

Now, the team has shifted its sights back to the television landscape and back to the world of adaptations. This time around, they’re tackling Chinese author Liu Cixin’s acclaimed sci-fi trilogy, starting out with The 3 Body Problem as part of a $200 million deal with Netflix.

With the first season now fast approaching, here’s everything you need to know ahead of its premiere.

Contents

• 3 Body Problem release date
• What is The 3 Body Problem about?
• 3 Body Problem trailers
• 3 Body Problem cast

3 Body Problem release date

During Netflix’s 2023 Geeked Week event, 3 Body Problem was announced to get a March 21, 2024 release date.

As confirmed during the first official trailer, the first season of the highly anticipated adaptation is set to launch on Netflix at the start of the new year. The exact number of episode is still unconfirmed, though IMDB currently lists an eight-episode season.

We could see a more typical Netflix release with all episodes available at once, or we could instead be in for a drip-fed approach with new episodes arriving each week. We’ll be sure to keep you posted here as further details emerge.

What is The 3 Body Problem about? Plot details

The 3 Body Problem is the name given to the first book in the Chinese sci-fi trilogy ‘Remembrance of Earth’s Past.’ While The Dark Forest and Death’s End serve as the second and third chapters respectively, the trilogy as a whole is often referred to as the Three-Body Problem.

This series from author Liu Cixin deals with humanity’s first encounter with an alien civilization. Through depictions of the past, present time, and future outcomes, we learn not only about this new race and its advancements but how humans deal with the fallout of discovering life beyond Earth.

According to Netflix, the adaptation’s plot reads, “The story begins in 1960s China when a young woman makes a fateful decision that reverberates across space and time into the present day. When the laws of nature as we know them inexplicably unravel, a tight-knit group of brilliant scientists must join forces with an unflinching detective to stop humanity’s greatest threat. 3 Body Problem is an epic story that redefines sci-fi drama with its layered mysteries and genre-bending high stakes. “

CIXIN LU

The Netflix series is set to cover the entire trilogy over multiple seasons.

“Liu Cixin’s trilogy is the most ambitious science-fiction series we’ve read,” the former Game of Thrones showrunners said at the time their Netflix deal was announced. “We look forward to spending the next years of our lives bringing this to life for audiences around the world.”

The first chapter of this ambitious narrative focuses largely on astrophysicist Ye Wenjie, the first to make contact with an extraterrestrial species. Despite a warning from this species to cease communications immediately, Ye pushes on and all but invites them to navigate to Earth and help settle its many ongoing conflicts.

Weighing over humanity’s head for generations, this mysterious life form out in the cosmos isn’t expected to reach Earth for 450 years. So what happens on our home planet during this time? What preparations are given the most attention? How is the political landscape divided with the confirmation of life beyond our atmosphere? All that and more is what the series intends to tackle.

While it’s unclear just how much the first season will cover, the showrunners are expected to adapt the full story and retell all three novels over time. An effort that will no doubt take many seasons to accurately convey.

3 Body Problem trailers

The official first trailer for 3 Body Problem was released on June 18, 2023. Catch it below:

Following it up, a longer, far more in-depth trailer then premiered on January 9, 2024. You can view this new glimpse below:

The very first 3 Body Problem footage arrived on June 17 as part of the 2023 Netflix Tudum showcase. While only labeled as a ‘teaser,’ this nearly two-minute glimpse showed us a fair bit. From an initial look at the vast, expansive sets, to our first CG-heavy spectacles, there’s plenty that experienced readers will be familiar with here.

For Netflix’s 2023 Geeked Week event, they released a special sneak peek at the series. The sneak peek opens with its own teaser for the series showcasing Wenjie in the past, her story, and its effects on the present and the people involved. It then shifts to Jack and present-day Wenjie together in an apartment. It seems she has gone to Jack for help with a unique VR headpiece she doesn’t know much about. Perplexed by its lack of ports, Jack puts it on and is transported to another world. But unlike VR, he can taste and feel everything around him.

You can watch the first 3 Body Problem teaser trailer and sneak peek below:

3 Body Problem Season 1 cast

With principal photography wrapped, we do have a good idea of who will be starring in Season 1 of 3 Body Problem on Netflix.

For starters, fans of Game of Thrones will recognize a number of familiar faces looping back to work with Benioff and Weiss once again. The likes of Liam Cunningham (Davos Seaworth), John Bradley (Samwell Tarly), and Jonathan Pryce (High Sparrow) are all set to feature throughout. Though several new names will also be joining them. Below is a full look at the cast as we know it today:

• Saamer Usmani as Raj Varma
• Jess Hong as Jin Cheng
• Jovan Adepo as Saul Durand
• Sea Shimooka as Sophon
• Zine Tseng as young Ye Wenjie
• Rosalind Chao as Ye Wenjie (present day)
• Benedict Wong as Da Shi
• John Bradley as Jack Rooney
• Eiza González as Auggie Salazar
• Alex Sharp as Will Downing
• Liam Cunningham as Thomas Wade
• Marlo Kelly as Tatiana
• Ben Schnetzer as young Mike Evans
• Jonathan Pryce as Mike Evans (present day)
• Eve Ridley as Follower
• Jason Forbes
• Stacy Abalogun

While that’s all we know of The 3 Body Problem’s Netflix adaptation for now, be sure to check back often as we’ll keep you updated here with further details as they emerge.

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