'3 Body Problem' Trailer and Release Month Revealed by Netflix
After years of waiting, Netflix has finally given fans some news on its adaptation of The Three-Body Problem. The streamer released a taser for this highly-anticipated sci-fi series on Saturday at its latest Tudum Global Fan Event live stream. They also announced the series premiere window – January 2024.
Netflix's 3 Body Problem is a huge project for several reasons. Not only is it an adaptation of one of the most acclaimed sci-fi novel series of the last few decades, but it comes from Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, with a few cast members from that show returning as well. Benioff and Weiss' ending for Game of Thrones was controversial and many fans are wary of them approaching another beloved novel adaptation here. If nothing else, Saturday's announcement was good because it finally revealed more details about the show beyond Benioff and Weiss' involvement.
The teaser shows some of the most cryptic and action-packed shots to come, including a wall of inscrutable alien writing apparently made with blood. It shows well-known stars like Benedict Wong and John Bradley, but focuses mainly on the protagonist Ye Wenjie, played by Rosalind Chao. A voice over alludes to the basic conceit of the story – humanity is divided over whether to look for extra-terrestrial life and what to do if they make contact with it. The logline reads: "A young woman's fateful decision in 1960s China reverberates across space and time to a group of brilliant scientists in the present day. As the laws of nature unravel before their eyes, five former colleagues reunite to confront the greatest threat in humanity's history."
Aside from the trailer, the Tudum event also included some commentary from Wong, Bradley and fellow cast members Jess Hong, Jovan Adepo and Alex Sharp. Benioff and Weiss share showrunning duties with Alexander Woo, and other executive producers include Bernadette Caulfield, Rian Johnson, Ram Bergman, Nena Rodrigue, Brad Pitt, Jeremy Kleiner, Dede Gradner, Rosamund Pike, Robie Uniacke, Lin Qi, Zhao Jilong, Fenfen Xu and Xiasong Gao.
The series will consist of eight episodes, each one hour in length, and based on Netflix's synopsis of the season it will cover the first book in the series in its entirety. The Three-Body Problem is the first in a trilogy of books by Chinese author Cixin Liu which is titled the Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy. It was translated into English by author Ken Liu and is available now in print, digital and audiobook formats. Netflix's adaptation, 3 Body Problem, will be released in January of 2024.