Based on the current chatter online, it’s safe to say a considerable demographic within the television-watching population still isn’t ready to forgive David Benioff and D.B. Weiss for how they handled Game of Thrones season 8. But redemption may soon be within reach thanks to the duo’s wildly ambitious Netflix series – The Three-Body Problem – which they’ve written and executive produced in collaboration with fellow HBO veteran Alexander Woo (True Blood).
While a trailer has yet to hit the cyberspace, a first look at this American adaptation of Liu Cixin’s acclaimed science-fiction novel was recently unveiled during the Netflix Tudum event. As Alexander Woo explains, the story involves a “history of humanity from the point of first contact with an alien civilisation all the way to the end of the universe.” Although anyone who’s read the book will (smugly) tell you it’s a little more complicated than that…
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Set against the backdrop of China’s Cultural Revolution, The Three-Body Problem begins when a secret military project beams signals into space. The objective? Establishing contact with extra-terrestrial life. Soon after, their wish is granted when an alien civilisation “on the brink of destruction” intercepts the transmission… with the intention of invading Earth. Among the humans, different camps form: some welcoming the superior species with the view our world is irredeemably corrupt and beyond saving; some dedicated to fighting against the coming invasion.
“Liu Cixin’s novels are some of the most ambitious storytelling I’ve ever encountered, we were awed by the sheer breadth and scope of them,” said David Benioff.
“The thing that drew us to these books were events on a scale that we had never thought about before,” added D.B. Weiss.
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Netflix’s The Three-Body Problem has reunited Benioff and Weiss with Thrones alum John Bradley, AKA Samwell Tarly, and Liam Cunningham, AKA Ser Davos the Onion Knight. Other members of the cast include Benedict Wong (The Martian, Doctor Strange), Eiza Gonzalez (Baby Driver, Ambulance), Jovan Adepo (Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, Watchmen), Jess Hong (Inked), Zine Tseng (On A Whim), Alex Sharp (The Trial of the Chicago 7), Saamer Usmani (Succession) – as well as rising Aussie star Marlo Kelly, who you may have encountered in Home & Away, Dare Me, and Peacock’s Joe vs Carole.
The Three-Body Problem – which has just wrapped production and is currently scheduled to arrive in streaming queues sometime in early 2023 – represents the first project of David Benioff and D.B. Weiss’ $200 million multi-year Netflix deal, inked back in 2019. Given the former’s proven track record when it comes to spinning entertainment gold from beloved literature (let’s not ignore the seven seasons before Game of Thrones went sideways) and the latter’s proclivity for throwing cash around, I’d say the partnership is already off to a flying start.
Stay tuned for updates on Netflix’s The Three-Body Problem (release date, trailer, etc.) – and check out the featurette below.
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