Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are returning with their first major project for Netflix after signing an overall deal with the streaming giant last year. The pair are adapting Chinese author Liu Cixin's sci-fi trilogy The Three-Body Problem for Netflix, with collaborators on the high-profile project including Rian Johnson, Alexander Woo and Rosamund Pike.
For the unfamiliar, Liu became the very first writer from Asia to win the prestigious Hugo Award, which he won in 2015 for his book. The Three-Body Problem was first published in 2014 and marked the first in his Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy (though readers typically refer to the entire trilogy as The Three-Body Problem). The series is set during the Cultural Revolution when humans first established contact with an alien civilization on the brink of extinction.
In a statement, Benioff and Weiss said: "Liu Cixin's trilogy is the most ambitious science-fiction series we've read, taking readers on a journey from the 1960s until the end of time, from life on our pale blue dot to the distant fringes of the universe. We look forward to spending the next years of our lives bringing this to life for audiences around the world."
A Chinese film adaptation of the same name was in production by 2015, but the project was halted soon after being announced.
While Benioff and Weiss will write and executive produce The Three-Body Problem, Alexander Woo (showrunner of AMC's The Terror) will also write and serve as executive producer. Rian Johnson — known for Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Knives Out — will also executive produce alongside Ram Bergman. In addition, Brad Pitt's Plan B is on board to executive produce, as well as Rosamund Pike and Robie Uniacke via their company Primitive Streak.
Liu himself, meanwhile, will serve as a consulting producer alongside Ken Liu, who wrote the English translation for much of the series.
In a statement, Liu said: "I have the greatest respect for and faith in the creative team adapting The Three-Body Problem for television audiences. I set out to tell a story that transcends time and the confines of nations, cultures and races; one that compels us to consider the fate of humankind as a whole. It is a great honour as an author to see this unique sci-fi concept travel and gain fandom across the globe and I am excited for new and existing fans all over the world to discover the story on Netflix."
Woo added: "It's a privilege to be adapting one of the great masterpieces of Chinese science-fiction. The Three-Body Problem trilogy combines so many things I love: rich, multi-layered characters and true existential stakes — all told as an elegant and deeply human allegory. I'm thrilled to kick off my partnership with Netflix with this accomplished creative team."
As of yet, it's unclear when we will receive the premiere of The Three-Body Problem, but the show is expected to tackle the other two books in the series: The Dark Forest and Death's End.
Benioff and Weiss signed their five-year deal with Netflix in 2019. It reportedly worth as much as $300 million.
For the unfamiliar, Liu became the very first writer from Asia to win the prestigious Hugo Award, which he won in 2015 for his book. The Three-Body Problem was first published in 2014 and marked the first in his Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy (though readers typically refer to the entire trilogy as The Three-Body Problem). The series is set during the Cultural Revolution when humans first established contact with an alien civilization on the brink of extinction.
In a statement, Benioff and Weiss said: "Liu Cixin's trilogy is the most ambitious science-fiction series we've read, taking readers on a journey from the 1960s until the end of time, from life on our pale blue dot to the distant fringes of the universe. We look forward to spending the next years of our lives bringing this to life for audiences around the world."
A Chinese film adaptation of the same name was in production by 2015, but the project was halted soon after being announced.
While Benioff and Weiss will write and executive produce The Three-Body Problem, Alexander Woo (showrunner of AMC's The Terror) will also write and serve as executive producer. Rian Johnson — known for Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Knives Out — will also executive produce alongside Ram Bergman. In addition, Brad Pitt's Plan B is on board to executive produce, as well as Rosamund Pike and Robie Uniacke via their company Primitive Streak.
Liu himself, meanwhile, will serve as a consulting producer alongside Ken Liu, who wrote the English translation for much of the series.
In a statement, Liu said: "I have the greatest respect for and faith in the creative team adapting The Three-Body Problem for television audiences. I set out to tell a story that transcends time and the confines of nations, cultures and races; one that compels us to consider the fate of humankind as a whole. It is a great honour as an author to see this unique sci-fi concept travel and gain fandom across the globe and I am excited for new and existing fans all over the world to discover the story on Netflix."
Woo added: "It's a privilege to be adapting one of the great masterpieces of Chinese science-fiction. The Three-Body Problem trilogy combines so many things I love: rich, multi-layered characters and true existential stakes — all told as an elegant and deeply human allegory. I'm thrilled to kick off my partnership with Netflix with this accomplished creative team."
As of yet, it's unclear when we will receive the premiere of The Three-Body Problem, but the show is expected to tackle the other two books in the series: The Dark Forest and Death's End.
Benioff and Weiss signed their five-year deal with Netflix in 2019. It reportedly worth as much as $300 million.