Netflix’s adaptation of Cixin Liu’s The Three Body Problem was announced last year, but it’s finally picking up some momentum on the long road to production. In August, showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss (Game of Thrones) and Alexander Woo (The Terror: Infamy) brought on director Derek Tsang (Better Days), who will helm at least the pilot episode of the series.
Now, they’ve announced twelve of the actors in the cast—though without saying anything about the roles they’re playing. The lineup includes two Thrones alum, a star of Michael Bay’s upcoming Ambulance, and a familiar face from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Here’s the announced cast:
- Jovan Adepo (The Stand)
- John Bradley (Game of Thrones)
- Tsai Chin (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings)
- Liam Cunningham (Game of Thrones)
- Eiza González (Ambulance)
- Jess Hong (The Brokenwood Mysteries)
- Marlo Kelly (Dare Me)
- Alex Sharp (How to Talk to Girls at Parties)
- Sea Shimooka (Arrow)
- Zine Tseng
- Saamer Usmani (What/If)
- Benedict Wong (Doctor Strange)
Buy the Book
The Three Body Problem
American readers were introduced to the Three-Body Problem in 2014, when Tor Books published a translation of the novel, which was serialized in 2004 and first published as a book in China in 2008. It’s a story of first contact, as the cover copy explains:
Set against the backdrop of China’s Cultural Revolution, a secret military project sends signals into space to establish contact with aliens. An alien civilization on the brink of destruction captures the signal and plans to invade Earth. Meanwhile, on Earth, different camps start forming, planning to either welcome the superior beings and help them take over a world seen as corrupt, or to fight against the invasion. The result is a science fiction masterpiece of enormous scope and vision.
Netflix’s series was announced with an impressive roster of behind-the-scenes talent, including Rian Johnson (Star Wars: The Last Jedi) and his producing partner Ram Bergman; Plan B Entertainment (Brad Pitt’s production company); Primitive Streak (Rosamund Pike’s production company); and the Yoozoo Group and The Three-Body Universe, which holds the rights to the book. Benioff, Weiss, and Woo are all executive producers alongside Bernadette Caulfield (Game of Thrones).
Ken Liu, who translated the Hugo Award-winning novel into English, is a consulting producer, as is Cixin Liu himself.
There’s no word yet on when production will begin.
