Intricate narrative aside, 3 Body Problem has proven to be one of the most ambitious Netflix shows to date — with the question of when we can expect 3 Body Problem season 2 currently looming large.
The American adaptation of Liu Cixin’s award-winning science fiction novel(s) debuted successfully towards the end of March 2024. It claimed the #1 spot on Netflix’s Top 10 list across the globe, streamed 1.6 billion minutes in the first week alone, and garnered a respectable amount of critical acclaim.
But as we’ve pointed out on previous occasions, the real challenge isn’t a matter of interest. It’s investment.
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For season 1, the production budget for each episode reportedly came to US$20 million (AU$30 million), bringing the spend thus far across eight episodes to US$160 million (AU$240 million). Effectively, this made 3 Body Problem one of the most expensive adaptations Netflix has ever undertaken.
Effectively, to execute the vision of creators David Benioff & DB Weiss (Game of Thrones) and Alexander Woo (True Blood), the final expenditure could end up costing US$640 million (AU$970 million) all up. And keep in mind: that’s purely just for production.
“It’s incredibly moving and mind-blowing, and so we’re desperate to get to the end.”
David Benioff
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On a per-episode basis, 3 Body Problem represents the third most expensive Netflix series of all time after Stranger Things season 4 at US$30 million (AU$45 million), edging out the likes of:
- The live-action One Piece series at US$18 million (AU$27 million)
- The Sandman at US$15 million (AU$22 million)
- The Crown season 6 at US$13 million (AU$20 million)
- Baz Luhrmann’s The Get Down at US$11 million (U$17 million)
Anyway, here’s everything we know about Netflix’s 3 Body Problem season 2 right now.
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Has 3 Body Problem season 2 been confirmed?
Not only has 3 Body Problem season 2 been greenlit, but in the time since the next instalment was formally announced, David Benioff & D.B. Weiss and Alexander Woo have revealed we can also expect 3 Body Problem season 3 during a for-your-consideration award season panel for the Television Academy.
“We included a lot of what we loved from the [novels by Cixin Liu] in season 1, but the vast majority of reasons we wanted to make this show are in season 2,” said Weiss, echoing earlier sentiments about the mind-bending sci-fi adaptation needing “at least three, maybe four seasons.”
“We always wanted to get to the final page of the third book, and it’s really, really thrilling to us that we will get to do just that.”
This was almost inevitable considering Benioff and his Game of Thrones collaborator DB Weiss inked a US$200 million (AU$300 million) overall deal with Netflix back in 2019.
What will the second season of 3 Body Problem be about?
[Warning: Season 1 spoilers ahead]
3 Body Problem season 1 fast-tracked the story from the first novel in Liu Cixin’s Remembrance of Earth’s Past trilogy and began exploring narrative threads from the second book: The Dark Forest.
For context, in the closing episodes, it’s revealed the Trisolarans / San-Ti have evolved without the capacity to lie. Additionally, their sophon supercomputers can only intercept conversations, written communication, and digital communication. Meaning they cannot read human thought.
In response to this, the United Nations established the “Wallfacer” Program: candidates tasked with developing a plan to defeat Earth’s alien invaders contained entirely within their own minds. One of the candidates, who proves to be exceedingly reluctant, is Dr Saul Durand (Jovan Adepo). His appointment attracts several assassination attempts right from the jump.
At the same time, Trisolaran / San-Ti loyalist and alien-backed assassin Tatiana Haas (Australia’s very own rising star Marlo Kelly) has ostensibly been recruited as what is dubbed the “Wallbreakers” in The Dark Forest. Through the VR “gaming” headset, it’s implied she has been granted full access to the information collected by the sophons and offered a glorious purpose: derailing the Wallfacers.
This will serve as the central plot for 3 Body Problem season 2.
“We have some really strong ideas about what to do in season 2, and then it’s a little hazier down the line,” Alexander Woo explained on the Inside Total Film Podcast.
“But we want to get to the end. We want to get to the end of the trilogy, whether that’s three or four, or some other number.”
Despite the fact that it’ll be some 400 years before the invasion kicks off in earnest, the clock is ticking in humanity’s fight for survival. Side note: expect a far more CGI-intensive affair by the time we get to Netflix’s 3 Body Problem season 3.
Do we know the 3 Body Problem season 2 cast members?
Assuming nobody has any career-defining scheduling conflicts, we can expect the following to make a return for Netflix’s 3 Body Problem season 2:
- Jovan Adepo as Dr Saul Durand
- Jess Hong as Jin Cheng
- Eiza González as Dr Augustina “Auggie” Salazar
- Liam Cunningham as Thomas Wade
- Marlo Kelly as Tatiana Haas
- Sea Shimooka as Sophon
- Saamer Usmani as Prithviraj “Raj” Varma
- Benedict Wong as Clarence “Da” Shi
- CCH Pounder as Secretary-General of the United Nations Lillian Joseph
- Josh Brener as Sebastian Kent
Furthermore, while [SPOILERS] both Dr Ye Wenjie and Mike Evans are canonically deceased, there’s a chance Rosaline Chao / Zine Tseng and Jonathan Pryce / Ben Schnetzer might appear in flashback sequences. The same can be said about John Bradley as Jack Rooney, Alex Sharp as Will Downing, and Vedette Lim as Vera Ye.
As for new cast members, those details remain unclear at this stage.
What is the 3 Body Problem season 2 release date (Australia or otherwise)?
3 Body Problem season 1 was announced in September 2020, officially began production in November 2021, wrapped production in late 2022, and — due in large part to the SAG-AFTRA, Writer’s Guild of America strikes — only premiered in March 2024.
Should Netflix begin rolling cameras on 3 Body Problem season 2 within the next six months, hopefully without a hitch this time around, we can expect the release date to land sometime in late 2026/early 2027.
Has the 3 Body Problem season 2 trailer been dropped yet?
Netflix’s 3 Body Problem season 2 definitely doesn’t have a trailer. In the meantime, enjoy the season 1 trailer below (and revisit the actual season itself on the platform).
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