Summary
After making the overwhelmingly popular HBO seriesGame of Thrones, showrunners Dan Weiss, David Benioff, and Alexander Woo haveadapted a fascinating sci-fi novelfor the newNetflixseries3 Body Problem. There are many greatsci-fi series on Netflix likeAlice in Borderland, and the streaming service has a solid selection of TV shows and movies in this genre.3 Body Problemnot only has an intriguing title but has a storyline that will draw viewers in from the very first episode.
All8 episodes of3 Body Problemwill be available tostream on Netflix on March 21st, 2024. There’s a lot to know about this fascinating sci-fi story.
What Is Netflix’s 3 Body Problem About?
The new Netflix sci-fi series3 Body Problemfollowsastrophysicist Ye Wenjie(Rosalind Chao and Zine Tseng) whosefather was killed during the Cultural Revolution in China.Since she is so knowledgeable about science, she begins working for the military. However, it’s here that she discovers something incredible, which changes her life forever.3 Body Problemfocuses on both the past and the present. Thestorybegins in the 1960s and continues in the present, where characters are dealing withthe existence of aliens. According to The Hollywood Reporter, much of season 1 is about physicists facing a cult who want the aliens to take over Earth. However, it’s important to note that it will be400 years before the aliens arrive.
While sometimessci-fi adaptations fail, like Stephen King’sThe Lawnmower Man, sci-fi stories often offer a rich setting that allows for a fascinating TV series or movie. Netflix’s3 Body Problemseems to follow its source material fairly closely, which is a good thing.
David Benioff, D. B. Weiss, Alexander Woo
Cast Members
Benedict Wong, Eiza González, John Bradley, Jess Hong, Rosalind Chao, Zine Tseng, Jonathan Pryce, Jovan Adepo, Marlo Kelly, Liam Cunningham
8 episodes
Release Date
March 21st, 2024
Dan Weiss, David Benioff, and Alexander Woo, the showrunners behind thebest episodes ofGame of Thrones, are the showrunners on Netflix’s3 Body Problem. In an interview withThe Hollywood Reporter, Benioff and Weiss explained that they wanted to work with Woo because he adapted theTrue Bloodbook series for HBO. Benioff talked about Netflix’s3 Body Problemand said:
“It’s much less about fighting tentacle monsters and much more about how does humanity respond to this great existential threat? And, sadly for us, in the last few years we’ve seen that mankind doesn’t respond particularly well to existential threats. It’s hard to be idealistic and think we’d all come together if we had to. The aliens appeal to certain people who believe they’re superior to us — and, technologically, they are.”
The showrunners also shared that they were nervous about the adaptation. Benioff told The Hollywood Reporter:
“It was the first thing we’d come across sinceThroneswhere we were actually scared. We knew this is going to be hard.”
What Is Netflix’s 3 Body Problem Based On?
3 Body Problemisbased on the novelThe Three-Body Problemby Liu Cixin. The novel and the Netflix series follow the same main character: Ye Wenjie. In the novel, she has finished studying astrophysics and gets a job withthe Red Guard, a group in China that is looking for aliens. She forms a compelling and important relationship with an environmentalist named Mike Evans. Since aliens aren’t thought to come to Earth for 450 years, the book is a philosophical take on what humans think extraterrestrials will be like. While there are many interestingsci-fi stories without aliens,The Three-Body Problemwouldn’t be as riveting without its exploration of these creatures.
What Are The Books In Liu Cixin’s Remembrance Of Earth’s Past Trilogy
In aninterview with Vocal.media/Futurism, Liu Cixin shared that he grew up during the Cultural Revolution in China. He talked about what informed his writing and said:
“I was quite curious about the unknown world and was full of yearnings for the vast universe, and it was this wonder and desire that drove me to write science fiction. I’ve tried to describe the relationship between man and nature and the universe, using imagination to expand my existence.”
Cixin also explained that he likes the “world building” aspect of sci-fi. He said:
“When I was just a reader of science fiction, what attracted me most to the science fiction genre was the multitude of imagined worlds it had created, which expanded the narrow breadth of my life. Now that I have become a science fiction writer myself, ‘world building’ has become a primary direction for writing.”
Fromsci-fi TV shows released in 2023toentertaining sci-fi movies, Netflix is a go-to streaming service for compelling stories about other worlds, creatures, and characters determined to figure it all out.3 Body Problemis an interesting new sci-fi series that fans of the genre should definitely check out.
