The creators behind Netflix's 3 Body Problem offered a hopeful update about a potential Season 2.
This show was created by Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss (along with Alexander Woo), and adapted from the Hugo Award-winning Chinese novel The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin. The heady sci-fi series has sparked plenty of conversation since its release, as fans break down its interwoven alien invasion plot.
Despite raking in over 18 million views in its first two weeks on Netflix (via Deadline), no confirmation of a Season 2 for 3 Body Problem has been made public.
Creators Teases 3 Body Problem Season 2
Following the debut of 3 Body Problem on Netflix, series creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss teased that a good amount of progress has been made on Season 2 of the series.
According to Weiss, they have "done a good amount of work on the second season" even though Season 2 has not yet been announced officially (via Vulture):
"We’ve done a good amount of work on the second season. At this point, the shape of it is pretty detailed in terms of character journeys and who lives, who dies, who goes where, how things function. The rest of it … there are three books, so that seems to suggest three seasons. The third book is very long, which might suggest more than three seasons, but we’ve already used a fair amount of the third book. It’s hard to know until you get there."
This is in line with previous comments from the show's creators, as they seem to be working on the assumption they will get a Season 2.
Weiss told Total Film in March 2024, "We don't have a second season," but they continue to push "full steam ahead as if we did" to ensure they are ready should the green light be given:
"We don't have a second season, but we need to keep pushing forward full steam ahead as if we did. Because if we do get a second season, we'll need to hit the ground running in terms of pre-production and production to get it out to people in some kind of reasonable time. A show like this takes a long time to make and you can't wait to get started thinking about it until somebody gives you the green light."
However, Weiss and Benioff do like working season-to-season.
The producing pair noted the "very labor-intensive" process of developing a series, only being able to focus on one batch of episodes at a time (via Collider):
Weiss: "You can really only do one. It’s a very labor-intensive show, and it doesn’t get less labor-intensive. It doesn’t get easier to make, it gets harder to make. So, I think it’s hard to see eight episodes of something you like and then have it disappear for a long period of time, but it’s really kind of the only way we can imagine doing it is one season at a time."
That is not to say they would say no though it "they greenlit a Season 2 and 3:"
Bennioff: "That said, if they greenlit a Season 2 and 3..."
Weiss: "I wouldn’t say no. That’s a decision that’s made in rooms we’re not in. I don’t know if it’s the kind of thing they would do for a show like this, but that would be great."
Ideally, the duo would have "four seasons to tell the whole story" of all three books by Liu Cixin.
The first season "roughly follows the arc of the first book," and the second should follow the second book, but given the "massive" scale of the third book, it would require two seasons according to the series creators:
"There are three books. The first season roughly follows the arc of the first book, and the second season would probably roughly follow the second book. The third book is massive. It's twice as long, I think, as the other two books, so maybe that's one season, maybe it's two. But I think we'd need at least three, maybe four seasons to tell the whole story. It's a beautiful ending.
I think all three of us thought that the last page of Liu Cixin’s epic was maybe the best final image we'd encountered in a sci-fi saga like this. It's incredibly moving and mind-blowing, and so we’re desperate to get to the end. That means, hopefully, if enough people watch it that Netflix will renew us and give us a couple more years."
When Could Season 2 of 3 Body Problem Be Released?
While 3 Body Problem does not yet have a Season 2 announced, it seems like only a matter of time before the green light is given.
The series has been a resounding hit for Netflix, holding down the top spot of the Global TV Streaming Chart on the service for its first two weeks.
Given the pedigree of creative talent behind the show (most prominently David Benioff and D. B. Weiss), Netflix would be smart to keep those kinds of names in-house as long as they can.
If Season 2 were to be rubber-stamped before the end of April, production on Season 2 could realistically start by the end of 2024.
Benioff and Weiss have been adamant they are working on Season 2 without an official greenlight. So, that production start estimate does not seem too outlandish.
Season 1 was filmed over 10 months from November 2021 to September 2022, and then was released 18 months later in March 2024.
The extended gap between the end of filming and release was likely due to the series' extensive VFX work in post-production as well as the dual strikes in Hollywood in 2023.
Should the series get back in front of cameras sometime in late 2024, one can likely assume Season 2 will get to screens a little sooner than Season 1 did.
Say the series cuts somewhere between four and six months off its production timeline in its second time around, that would put Season 2's release sometime in Q2 or Q3 2026.
3 Body Problem is now streaming on Netflix.
Read more about 3 Body Problem:
Who Is Marlo Kelly? 6 Things to Know About 3 Body Problem Actress
Who Is Jess Hong? 4 Things to Know About 3 Body Problem Actress
3 Body Problem Producer Clarifies the Meaning of That Frustrating Ending
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