The Emmy Award-winning series Game of Thrones created a massive fanbase with every season of the HBO show delivering something memorable and epic. While our time in Westeros ended five years ago, David Benioff and D. B. Weiss are following up with Netflix to adapt another best-selling book series 3 Body Problem. Considering how popular Game of Thrones was, the two collaborators are feeling the “pressure” of giving audiences a new show, and recently they opened up about it.
David Benioff and D. B. Weiss haven’t had the best luck after their time in Westeros was over. In 2019, they reportedly left their planned Star Wars movie to avoid toxic fans after getting “so bogged down” from Game of Thrones’ polarized final season. Then, their reimagined post-Civil War HBO show got dropped after public backlash.
After leaving HBO for a development deal with Netflix, Benioff and Weiss have created the upcoming book-to-screen adaptation of the 3 Body Problem. However, Benioff confessed to The Wall Street Journal that they are feeling the "pressure:"
There’s definitely pressure, but then again, when Thrones was coming out, I remember having insomnia and being terrified. It’s nerve-racking when it’s your first big thing, and it’s nerve-racking when you’ve been at it for awhile and people are like, ‘Well, do they still have it?’
The pressure is understandable since Game of Thrones received high praise in each season until the creators “couldn’t win” over viewers during the series finale. Fans complained about the short runtime of the final season and the creative decisions made. To add more to the pressure, 3 Body Problem is one of Netflix’s most expensive projects with per-episode costs reportedly in the $20 million range. With so much money going into this Netflix new release, it makes sense why David Benioff and D. B. Weiss are feeling the pressure.
While there may be a lot of pressure to adapt Liu Cixin’s best-selling book series, David Benioff and D. B. Weiss never seem to back away from a challenge. They said what attracted them to creating a sci-fi series about an alien invasion was the challenge of how “vast” the books were. It was the same deal with the vast world of the medieval fantasy series which continues to prove its depth through upcoming Game of Thrones shows like a Jon Snow sequel series and the animated series The Sea Snake.
Benioff also said he likes the idea of questioning whether humanity can come together in a meaningful way after an existential world crisis occurs.
Along with the exciting story about a group of scientists teaming with a detective to confront an alien threat, we’ll be seeing some Game of Thrones connections in the show too. This includes a couple of cast members from the GOF family starring in the 2024 Netflix series, including Davos Seaworth’s Liam Cunningham and Samwell Tarly’s John Bradley. David Benioff also teased that the first season of 3 Body Problem won’t be “huge in scope and scale,” but potential seasons will take it up a notch with an increase in special effects.
Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss’s next upscale project, 3 Body Problem, has pressures similar to the ones they faced during their HBO fantasy series. Their previous fears during their time in Westeros stemmed from taking on a large-budget series for the first time. This time, it’s about showing audiences they’ve still got it in them to develop an epic series fans will love.
With so many successful yet crazy expensive Netflix shows, like Stranger Things and The Crown, that drew in viewers, I’m sure 3 Body Problem will be a strong achievement for the streaming service.
You'll be able to stream 3 Body Problem with a Netflix subscription on March 21 when it premieres on the 2024 TV schedule, and all seasons of Game of Thrones are available with a Max subscription.
