The Three Body Problem will be released on Netflix on March 21. The sci-fi epic is a new work by the Game of Thrones writers with a budget of $160 million. It is an adaptation of the novel about an alien threat to humanity by Chinese science fiction writer Liu Cixin. Among his fans is Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who lost the film rights to the story. Forbes has collected five interesting facts about the new product.
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What is the series “The Three-Body Problem” about: astrophysics, communists and aliens
The Three Body Problem series is based on the trilogy Memory of Earth’s Past by Chinese science fiction writer Liu Cixin. Game of Thrones writers David Benioff and Daniel Weiss took on the adaptation of the story for Netflix.
The plot is based on an alien threat. An “invitation” to the extraterrestrial civilization Trizoria is sent by an astrophysicist from the People’s Republic of China: she witnessed repressions against scientists and lost faith in humanity. Several decades later, famous researchers from all over the world begin to die mysteriously – someone is trying to slow down scientific progress on Earth.
A group of scientists takes on the investigation and ends up in a VR game, where they must solve the “three-body problem.” This is the unsolved problem of celestial mechanics and the key to salvation.
Trailer for the series “The Three-Body Problem.” Source: Netflix
Humanity has time – it takes the invaders several centuries to reach Earth. But in the face of the threat, the earthlings are divided: some plan to cooperate with the colonialists.
“It’s less about fighting monsters and more about humanity’s response to an existential threat,” speaks Benioff. “Unfortunately, as we have seen in recent years, humanity is not responding very well.”
First job after Game of Thrones. How the hit-writers adapted the novel
For Benioff and Weiss, “The Three-Body Problem” was the first project after “Game of Thrones.” The third co-creator of the series is Emmy nominee Alexander Wu. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the creators admit: They were afraid to take on the film adaptation of such a complex novel. “A huge credit to David and Dan for making it more accessible,” says director Derek Tsang.
Still from the TV series “The Three-Body Problem.” Photo screenshot from Netflix
Still from the TV series “The Three-Body Problem.”
Still from the TV series “The Three-Body Problem.”
Still from the TV series “The Three-Body Problem.”
Still from the TV series “The Three-Body Problem.”
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They worked on the project for four and a half years, the team numbered about 1000 people, writes BBC. The story was adapted for a global audience – the main location was moved from Beijing to London and an international cast was hired. The series takes place on five continents.
It’s a global epic on a scale unprecedented for Netflix. summarizes Screen Rant. The budget for each episode was about $20 million, according to information The Wall Street Journal. For comparison: every episode of the fourth season of Amazing Miracles, the most expensive yet a Netflix show – cost $30 million, reports Screenrant.
The debut season consists of eight episodes, which mainly describe the events of the first book. The author of the novel approved the adaptation, notes streaming. The first season of The Three-Body Problem will be available on Netflix starting March 21, 2024. The second season is already in development told screenwriters.
Crash course in physics. How science was integrated into the series
Quantum theory, orbital mechanics, astrophysics and nanotechnology – Liu Cixin’s books cover a range of technical and scientific concepts. “We needed to show this in the series without slowing down the pace of the show,” tells Weiss.
Scientists helped the scriptwriters in this: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory flight engineer Bobak Ferdowsi and experimental physicist Matthew Kenzie, Higgs boson researcher, writes BBC. Each episode comes with a podcast explaining the science behind it.
Series creators Alexander Wu, David Benioff and Daniel Weiss attend the series’ world premiere on March 8, 2024 in Austin.
The key scientific concept of the series – the “three-body problem” – means the unpredictability of the movements of three celestial bodies that rotate opposite each other under the influence of mutual attraction. Since the 17th century, scientists have been trying to understand how to plot the expected movement of such objects. In the series, aliens inhabiting a planet with three suns face a problem.
Actors from Game of Thrones and Barack Obama’s unrealized cameo
The series’ cast includes Game of Thrones personalities Liam Cunningham, John Bradley-West and Jonathan Pryce. The lead detective is played by the star of the Marvel film Doctor Strange, Benedict Wong.
For an episodic appearance, the creators of the series invited former US President Barack Obama, who spoke approvingly of the novel in 2017. The “Three Body Problem” helped distract from the pressures of the presidency, said Obama to reporters from The New York Times. However, he refused to participate told the author.
The series’ cast includes Game of Thrones personalities Liam Cunningham, John Bradley-West and Jonathan Pryce. Source: Netflix
A fan of the Three-Body Problem is Jeff Bezos. Why didn’t Amazon get the film rights?
Amazon Studios agreed to buy the rights to the English-language adaptation of “The Three-Body Problem” in 2018: Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is a fan of the novel, writes The Hollywood Reporter. Negotiations with the copyright holders, game developer Yoozoo Group, lasted eight months. The culmination was a meeting in Los Angeles. An Amazon Studios representative described it to reporters as “the craziest of my career.”
“One minute left until signing [контракта]when the CEO [Yoozoo Group] suddenly said: “Let’s create a joint venture,” the publication quotes an Amazon representative. The company did not agree, this undermined the agreement.
Two years later, billionaire founder of Yoozoo Group and executive producer of the film adaptation Lin Qi poisoned in Shanghai. Despite the death of the director, the company continued to work on the adaptation of “The Three-Body Problem” together with co-producer Netflix. Yoozoo will also release a game based on the novel.
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