The first series of 3 Body Problem, the lavish Netflix production of Liu Cixin’s “unadaptable” 2008 theoretical science novel, finished on a cliffhanger – but it also ended up with very divided reviews. Was it “too dull and confusing… a body devoid of life”, as the Independent dubbed it, or was it “thoroughly impressive, giant-scale television”, as reviewed by Empire? For our part, we didn't rate it too highly.
Whatever your feelings about the shock finale of the eight-part series – created by Game Of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, as well as True Blood's Alexander Woo – there’s no denying its immense popularity. Since its release on 21 March, 3 Body Problem has been holding steady at the top of Netflix’s most watched rankings, globally.
But the ending, as readers of the original novel know, is not the ending at all. The 2008 book was part of a trilogy, meaning there are many more adventures and complex quantum physics-heavy scenarios to play out. That, and the little matter of that cliffhanger will likely have your brain turning over a brand new problem: is there going to be a series two, and if so, when is it out?
Is there going to be a second series?
Well, the bad news is there’s been no official confirmation of a second series from Netflix. But the showrunners told The Hollywood Reporter that they very much envision the show taking place over multiple series.
Benioff said: “[Series 2] is something we’ve talked about with the Netflix guys, too. Liu Cixin’s created this indelible trilogy and the books just get better for me. The second book is far better than the first, and the third book just completely blew my mind. The story just gets more and more ambitious as it goes, and it takes a huge leap in book two. So I feel like if we survive to the second season, we’re going to be in a good place.”
He looked back at the end of GOT, and teased that there could be a Red Wedding moment for 3BP: “At our first Comic-Con [for Game of Thrones] someone asked if we’re going to get a second season. I remember saying there’s a scene that would happen in season three — I didn’t even want to name it, but ‘RW’, for people who know — if we can get there, I think we’re going to be okay. And there’s a scene in the second season of 3 Body Problem that I feel is — it’s not the Judgment Day scene [in season one] — it’s one that happens in the second season … things wildly escape and there’s one scene, if we get to it, we’re golden — like when we got to the Red Wedding on Thrones.”
Speaking to the Inside Total Film podcast, Weiss added: “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.”
Alexander Woo, however, was a little more upbeat about what might be coming down the line. Don't expect it to necessarily be a straightforward one-season-per-book kind of a deal should there be another run though.
"Well, there’s three novels in the trilogy," Woo told the Inside Total Film podcast. "The novels get longer and longer so I wouldn't say it maps out exactly to three. We have some really strong ideas about what to do in a season two, and then it’s a little hazier down the line. But we want to get to the end, we want to get to the end of the trilogy, and whether that's three or four, you know, or some other number."
A trilogy is, traditionally, three – but anyway! "The goal is to get to the end of the trilogy and it seems like it would map out over probably, certainly more than two seasons but beyond that, it’s hard to know exactly."
What’s the hold-up on announcing the follow-up season?
One issue that might come into this is the money. The Hollywood Reporter claimed that it cost a hefty $20 million per episode (per! Episode!). That’s around $160 million for the entire series, making it the streamer’s most expensive scripted series ever and putting a hell of a lot of pressure on the series to deliver on a giant audience.
So, is the math mathing for Netflix? That’s an equation the company is likely grappling with right now, leaving the show’s fans at its mercy in the meantime.
