After completing their run on the HBO mega-hit series Game of Thrones, the next move for showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss has been one that their biggest fans have been keeping tabs on for some time. Now, we finally have news of the latest project to cross the desk of this duo of TV titans, which is a part of the big Netflix deal the two had snagged in the recent past. Get ready, as Benioff and Weiss are about to tackle a series adaptation of author Liu Cixin's novel, The Three-Body Problem.
The Three-Body Problem is only the start of a trilogy that spans a wide range of human history, starting in an alternate 1960s and eventually reaching the end of time. Game of Thrones fans should feel right at home with this new Netflix series, as according to USA Today, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss will be working with two concepts that they used to great effect in their eight-season juggernaut: life outside of the realm of humanity, and a non-linear time jumping narrative.
More specifically, The Three-Body Problem will see humanity’s first contact with an alien civilization, and all of the exciting problems that particular sort of story brings along for the ride. Involving messages between humanity and a race of aliens known as Trisolarans, a long-term narrative starts to play out that sees various factions rising, as some want to help these aliens solve the titular scientific dilemma that afflicts their world, and others want them to destroy humanity for its own good.
This move is all the more interesting, considering the fact that the last big project that David Benioff and D.B. Weiss seemed to be in line to tackle was a trilogy of Star Wars movies. Of course, that prospect ended with the two parting ways with that project, as their alleged concerns over “toxic fandom” came at a pretty heated juncture in the franchise’s history. But now, it looks like their sci-fi muscles will be put to the test after all, as this trilogy of well-beloved books will serve as Benioff and Weiss’ big Netflix debut.
The Three-Body Problem’s birth comes at an interesting time for Netflix also, as the studio’s top brass recently made the decision to cancel the series adaptation of sci-fi property Altered Carbon two seasons into its run. Undoubtedly, those in charge are probably high on the fact that the former showrunners of Game of Thrones are ready to tackle what could be another high-concept genre project. Especially when, if the loyal fanbase of Liu Cixin’s Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy latch onto The Three-Body Problem series as they are expected to, we could see a nice long running series adapt all three books.
Possibly the best part is that everything’s already written with the book adaptation, which means David Benioff and D.B Weiss won’t be pressured to come up with their own ending this time. Though we probably won’t have to worry about that for a while, as The Three-Body Problem currently doesn’t have a production start date or a premiere date set on its calendar. So stay tuned to CinemaBlend for further updates as they break.
