'3 Body Problem' Is Your New Sci-Fi Obsession
Jess Hong as Jin Cheng and John Bradley as Jack Rooney in '3 Body Problem'
Fans of ambitious science fiction and meticulously detailed world-building have been eagerly anticipating Netflix’s upcoming 3 Body Problem, a mind-bending epic which has been described as “a history of humanity from the point of first contact with an alien civilization all the way to the end of the universe.” The show’s cast and creators have been incredibly tight-lipped about the long-awaited project, but here’s what we know so far.
What is 3 Body Problem about?
3 Body Problem is described as an ambitious sci-fi epic which spans multiple decades, chronicling a richly detailed alternative history of Earth. The story begins in 1960s China, where a young woman makes a fateful decision that reverberates across space and time into the present day. When the laws of nature inexplicably unravel before their eyes, a close-knit group of brilliant scientists join forces with an unorthodox detective to confront the greatest threat in humanity’s history.
Is 3 Body Problem based on a book?
3 Body Problem is based on the Hugo award-winning novel of the same name by Cixin Liu, only the original spelling is The Three-Body Problem. The title refers to a fictional virtual reality game, Three-Body, which allows people to immerse themselves in hyper-realistic recreations of moments from history. The novel is an alternative history story which picks up during China’s cultural revolution, and follows a secret military organization’s efforts to make contact with alien races. But per the novel’s synopsis, they soon come to regret this, when “an alien civilization on the brink of destruction captures the signal and plans to invade Earth.” As news of the impending invasion spreads, “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.”
The Three-Body Problem is the first in a trilogy of novels by Liu, which is known as the Remembrance of Earth’s Past trilogy. Netflix has secured the rights to all three books, and the series will reportedly run for a total of 24 episodes, divided into three eight-episode seasons.
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Is the 3 Body Problem book a hard read?
What makes a novel hard to read changes a lot between individuals, so this is a hard one to call. On the one hand, Three-Body Problem is rooted in (and named after a concept from) theoretical physics and orbital mechanics, and contains a lot of heady hard science. But on the other, it was written as an entertaining and accessible read—in fact, it was originally serialized in the Chinese magazine Science Fiction World before being published as a book. And the mere fact that it’s a bestseller worldwide suggests that it’s pretty readable.
Author Cixin Liu has admitted that he was mildly surprised by the novel’s level of success. “All we had hoped for was just to let American readers become aware that there is sci-fi in China,” he told The Guardian. “Now that it has been embraced by readers in the UK and the US, it supports an idea I once had: sci-fi as a literary vessel is the most global, the most universal [storytelling], with the capability to be understood by all cultures. Sci-fi novels are concerned with problems faced by all of humanity. Crises in sci-fi mostly threaten humanity as a whole. This is a unique and treasurable trait inherent in the genre—that the human race is perceived as a single entity, undivided.”
Is 3 Body Problem based on a true story?
Although it takes place against the backdrop of real events, such as China’s Cultural Revolution, the story of 3 Body Problem is completely fictional, depicting an alternative history in which humanity has to react to the threat of an imminent alien invasion.
Who is making 3 Body Problem?
In 2020, it was announced that Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss would be adapting The Three-Body Problem into a Netflix series, a year after they signed a blockbuster overall deal with the streaming platform. Alex Woo, showrunner of AMC’s The Terror: Infamy, co-created the show with Benioff and Weiss and serves as executive producer and showrunner alongside them.
“What we are hoping to do is to convey the experience—if not necessarily the exact details—of the novel onto the screen,” Woo told Tudum, suggesting that the series will necessarily feature some pretty major changes from the book. “What stayed, we hope, is the sense of wonderment and the sense of scope, of scale, where the problems are no longer just the problems of an individual or even a nation, but of an entire species.”
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Who is in the cast of 3 Body Problem Season 1?
Eiza González as Auggie Salazar
Netflix
González plays Auggie Salazar, a member of the “Oxford Five,” a group of young scientists who join forces at Oxford University. Auggie is a nanotech trailblazer and visionary who proves to be “a natural target for humanity’s enemies,” per Netflix.
Jess Hong as Jin Cheng
Hong plays Jin Cheng, another member of the “Oxford Five.” She’s a genius theoretical physicist with an insatiable thirst for answers about the biggest questions in the universe, a trait which is both her biggest strength and her potential downfall. She features prominently in the first trailer for the Netflix series.
John Bradley as Jack Rooney
Bradley plays Jack Rooney, the third member of the "Oxford Five." Rude, outspoken, and lovable, Jack used his physics degree to develop a snacks empire. He features prominently in the first trailer alongside Jin Cheng, in which he’s shown trying out the VR headset for the Three-Body game.
Jovan Adepo as Saul Durand
Adepo plays Saul Durand, the fourth member of the “Oxford Five.” No less gifted but far less focused than his peers, Saul is a physics research assistant who has not reached his full potential, but gets a new chance to prove himself when presented with an unimaginable new challenge.
Alex Sharp as Will Downing
Chris Baker/Netflix
Sharp plays Will Downing, the fifth member of the “Oxford Five.” While working as a physics teacher, he receives life-changing news that forces him to reconsider his place in the universe.
Benedict Wong as Da Shi
Wong plays Da Shi, a hardened police officer in Beijing tasked with investigating the mysterious deaths of over 30 scientists.
Zine Tseng and Rosalind Chao as Ye Wenjie
Tsengn and Chao both play the role of Ye Wenjie, an astrophysics prodigy who loses everything during the Cultural Revolution, and makes a fateful decision which has ripple effects throughout many centuries—possibly even through to the end of time.
Ben Schnetzer and Jonathan Pryce as Mike Evans
Schnetzer and Pryce both play Mike Evans, an environmentalist who becomes a billionaire oil tycoon.
Liam Cunningham as Thomas Wade
Cunningham plays Thomas Wade, the charismatic leader of the world’s most elite intelligence operation.
Marlo Kelly as Tatiana
Kelly plays Tatiana, a young woman who devotes all of her energy to welcoming her alien invaders to earth, by any means necessary.
Saamer Usmani as Raj Varma
Usmani plays Raj Varma, a naval officer who is so deeply committed to his mission that he puts his relationship at risk.
Sea Shimooka as Sophon
Shimooka plays Sophon, an avatar who appears in a mysterious VR game within the show.
Eve Ridley as Follower
Ridley plays Follower, a 9-year-old who exists within the virtual reality game, Three-Body.
What is the release date for 3 Body Problem Season 1?
3 Body Problem Season 1 will be released in full on March 21, 2024.
How many episodes are in 3 Body Problem Season 1?
The season will be eight episodes long. Although Netflix has increasingly been dividing its drama seasons into two parts which are released on different days, it appears that all eight episodes of the first season will premiere on the same day.
The source material, The Three-Body Problem, is the first in a trilogy of novels by Liu, which is known as the Remembrance of Earth’s Past trilogy. Netflix has secured the rights to all three books, and the series will reportedly run for a total of 24 episodes, divided into three eight-episode seasons.
How to watch 3 Body Problem
3 Body Problem is a Netflix original, so you’ll need a subscription to watch it.
Is there a 3 Body Problem trailer?
In early January, Netflix released an enigmatic new trailer for 3 Body Problem, focusing on the mystery at the centre of the story—more than 30 scientists have turned up dead, killed by an unknown “someone or something.”
The previous trailer, which was released in the fall of 2023, focuses on a virtual reality game called Three-Body, which allows players to immerse themselves in AI recreations of historical moments that are “indistinguishable from reality.”