Netflix is ready to produce the sequel to The Three-Body Problem. But season 2, whose form could be different from the first, should not arrive immediately.
We know: the rest of the 3 Body Problem will be difficult to write, due to the considerable temporal ellipses that exist between each volume of Liu Cixin's trilogy. If the first season recounted events that happened in a time window of approximately 70 years, the following ones will take leaps, very far into the future.
Advertisement
The good news is that Netflix wants to continue the TV adaptation of 3 body problem. In mid-May, the streaming giant confirmed plans to back showrunners David Benioff, DB Weiss and Alexander Woo. Above all, the SVOD platform is obviously decided to go “ until the epic conclusion ” Of the history.
But what form, exactly, will this sequel take? Usually, one season chases another. It could be considered that season 2 of 3 Body Problem would have around eight episodes (like the first) and that it would be released relatively soon. But according to the elements reported by the site The Hollywood Reporternothing is certain.
First, on the format: Netflix mainly talked about “additional episodes” and not real seasons which, in the eyes of our colleagues, does not offer an absolute guarantee of having a classic season. These could very well be special episodes, of longer duration, but too insufficient in number to constitute a real season two.
Since then, the showrunners have talked about seasons – in the plural – but without saying the volume of episodes that there will ultimately be. “We have what we need to get to the end, as we initially planned,” they reassured in an exchange with THR. The showrunners have their flight plan until the end, basically.
Advertisement
No season 2 of The 3-Body Problem before 2027?
The length of the trip, on the other hand, risks being painful for the public. David Benioff, DB Weiss and Alexander Woo explained that this project, once completed, will have taken seven years of their lives. However, the first season has already required four years of gestation. It was in September 2020 that we learned of the project to adapt Liu Cixin's novels.
The three partners have hinted that these additional episodes will keep them busy over the next three years. Which means the sequel — whether it's a season two or special episodes — won't hit streaming until 2027, at best. It is unknown if this slot includes the entire sequel, with possible multiple seasons.
Usually, the seasons of a television series follow one or two years apart. For example, Game Of Thrones (the previous series that Benioff and Weiss worked on) had a season every year except for the very last. There is a two year gap for House of the Dragon and her rival Rings of Power.
This waiting time, if confirmed, could ultimately be used for the story. We know that major temporal gaps take place in the other two novels of the 3 Body Problem, and that the protagonists change throughout the story. This could serve to break away from Saul, Augustina, Thomas or Jin, the main characters of season 1.
