There’s a new original series coming to Netflix—Liu Cixin’s The Three-Body Problem will be adapted into a television series on Netflix… and it’s coming from the same minds behind HBO’s Game of Thrones.
David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are only two of the major names attached to the project, however: among the list of producers is Rian Johnson (Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Knives Out) and his producing partner Ram Bergman, along with Alexander Woo (The Terror: Infamy, True Blood), Plan B Entertainment, and Primitive Streak (the production company headed by Rosamund Pike, who is soon to star in Amazon’s adaptation of The Wheel of Time). Ken Liu, who was responsible for the English translation of the Three-Body Trilogy, has also been named as a consulting producer alongside author Liu Cixin, in order to make certain that the series remains true to the spirit of the book.
In a press release, the author had much to say on the project and its team:
Buy the Book
The Three-Body Problem
“I have the greatest respect for and faith in the creative team adapting The Three-Body Problem for television audiences. I set out to tell a story that transcends time and the confines of nations, cultures and races; one that compels us to consider the fate of humankind as a whole. It is a great honor as an author to see this unique sci-fi concept travel and gain fandom across the globe and I am excited for new and existing fans all over the world to discover the story on Netflix.”
And Weiss and Benioff also had a statement about their hopes for bringing this story to a brand new audience:
“Liu Cixin’s trilogy is the most ambitious science-fiction series we’ve read, taking readers on a journey from the 1960s until the end of time, from life on our pale blue dot to the distant fringes of the universe. We look forward to spending the next years of our lives bringing this to life for audiences around the world.”
Netflix’s VP of Original Series Dramas, Peter Friedlander, also had a lot to say about the novel and its impact upon him, saying that it changed his view on science fiction forever:
Although it may seem like a familiar premise – the story of humanity’s first contact with an alien civilization – Chinese author Liu Cixin’s ability to interweave science with fiction made his vision of the future and extra-terrestrial contact feel more realistic than any other science fiction I’ve read. At the same time, I was also drawn in by the story of all of humanity vulnerable to the same external threat and how this both unifies and divides humans.
There is no word on when the series will go into production, or casting as of yet, but if you need more information on The Three-Body Problem, check out this excerpt and piece about human purpose from author.
