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Game of Thrones' Weiss and Benioff set first new project under their Netflix mega-deal
D.B. Weiss and David Benioff, the duo behind HBO's Game of Thrones adaptation, have officially locked in their first new project under the Netflix mega-deal they signed last summer.
The company announced this morning that the writing/producing team will adapt another book series for the streamer: Liu Cixin's sci-fi trilogy of The Three-Body Problem, The Dark Forest, and Death's End. The show, which is being written and executive produced by Alexander Woo (True Blood, The Terror), will derive its title from the first novel in the series. In terms of story, the books (originally published in China, they kick off during country's cultural revolution in the late '60s) chronicle humanity's first contact with an alien civilization.
"Liu Cixin’s trilogy is the most ambitious science-fiction series we’ve read, taking readers on a journey from the 1960s until the end of time, from life on our pale blue dot to the distant fringes of the universe," Benioff and Weiss said in a statement run by Variety. “We look forward to spending the next years of our lives bringing this to life for audiences around the world.”
In addition to Woo, Rian Johnson (Star Wars: The Last Jedi), Brad Pitt (World War Z), Rosamund Pike (Wheel of Time), Bernadette Caulfield (Game of Thrones), and Lin Qi (Chairman of the rights-holders, Yoozoo Group and The Three-Body Universe) are also on board as executive producers. Cixin is attached as a consulting producer along with Ken Liu (who wrote English language versions of the first and third books).
"David Benioff, D.B. Weiss and Alexander Woo have experience tackling ambitious sagas over time and space," wrote Peter Friedlander, VP of Original Series at Netfix. “Rian Johnson and Ram Bergman have long dazzled fans with thrilling and mind-bending epics. They are all fierce advocates of ‘The Three-Body Problem.’ As ardent fans, it was especially meaningful to us to get the support of Liu Cixin who created this expansive universe. We all share the same goal: to pay homage to this incredible story and take members on the adventure of a lifetime.”
"It’s a privilege to be adapting one of the great masterpieces of Chinese science-fiction," Woo said. “The Three-Body Problem trilogy combines so many things I love: rich, multi-layered characters and true existential stakes — all told as an elegant and deeply human allegory. I’m thrilled to kick off my partnership with Netflix with this accomplished creative team."
“I have the greatest respect for and faith in the creative team adapting The Three-Body Problem for television audiences,” added Cixin. “I set out to tell a story that transcends time and the confines of nations, cultures and races; one that compels us to consider the fate of humankind as a whole. It is a great honor as an author to see this unique sci-fi concept travel and gain fandom across the globe and I am excited for new and existing fans all over the world to discover the story on Netflix."
