3 Body Problem: Release date, trailer and latest news for Netflix series

The new series is set to chronicle the fallout from a young woman's decision made in 1960s China and, like the book, will take viewers on a thrilling journey through space and time.

It's surely been quite the task to create the series, which is based on a bizarre, rich, and complicated novel by Liu Cixin. We do know that the series will be very different from the novel – so, how will that decision fare? Only time will tell. For now, we have an epic final trailer to delve into, which promises all-out war on Earth.

Plus, the creators have been teasing exactly what's to come – and recently revealed that actual Barack Obama turned down a cameo.

Benioff told USA Today: "He did sign a very funny note, when we tried to get him for a cameo. It was to the effect of, 'In case there ever is a real alien invasion, I think I should probably save myself for that crisis.'"

Cameos from former presidents aside, when can we expect 3 Body Problem?

3 Body Problem release date: When will it land on Netflix?

3 Body Problem is set to be released on Netflix on 21st March 2024.

The release date was confirmed in a sneak peek clip of the series, which will also boast a companion podcast for fans who just can't get enough of the series.

The series was first announced in 2020, with casting and directors first being announced in 2021. Later that same year, filming began in the UK – so it's been a long road to release for the Netflix series.

Who stars in 3 Body Problem?

The full cast list for 3 Body Problem is as follows:

• Jovan Adepo as Saul Durand
• John Bradley as Jack Rooney
• Liam Cunningham as Thomas Wade
• Eiza González as Auggie Salazar
• Jess Hong as Jin Cheng
• Marlo Kelly as Tatiana
• Alex Sharp as Will Downing
• Sea Shimooka as Sophon
• Zine Tseng as young Ye Wenjie
• Saamer Usmani as Raj Varma
• Benedict Wong as Da Shi
• Jonathan Pryce as Mike Evans
• Rosalind Chao as Ye Wenjie
• Ben Schnetzer as young Mike Evans
• Eve Ridley as Follower

The cast of the new series features some familiar faces who Game of Thrones fans will surely recognise from the acclaimed series. Liam Cunningham, who starred as Ser Davos Seaworth in the fantasy series, is set to star in 3 Body Problem as well as John Bradley, who starred as Samwell Tarly in Game of Thrones.

The cast also features the likes of Jovan Adepo (Babylon), Eiza González (Baby Driver) and Jess Hong. Hong said of the adaptation series: "People who have read the books will be stunned to see how it's been realised in the show. It's going to be, visually, a feast."

Similarly, Cunningham added: “The people involved in making this will treat these books with the largest amount of respect that they possibly can give."

What is the plot of 3 Body Problem and is it based on a book?

The new series is based on the acclaimed novel of the same name by sci-fi author Liu Cixin and is the first within the Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy.

The official synopsis for the series reads: "A young woman's fateful decision in 1960s China reverberates across space and time into the present day.

"When the laws of nature inexplicably unravel before their eyes, a close-knit group of brilliant scientists join forces with an unorthodox detective to confront the greatest threat in humanity's history."

However, there will be key differences from the book, with the series taking a more global approach. Netflix has confirmed that the series will be set across the 1960s Cultural Revolution in China to the present-day streets of Oxford, England, and the United Nations in New York.

Netflix has also confirmed that other changes will include "chronological shifts, character tweaks, expansions, additions, and setting the present-day story primarily in the UK".

Explaining those changes, co-creator Benioff said: "We have a tremendous love and respect for the books.

"You can't devote every waking moment of your life for years on end to adapt a piece of work that you don't love. So it's very important to us that the show stand on its own two legs and work for people who have read the books – and for people who haven't read the books."

While the book is well-known by many sci-fi fans and has been described as one of the best sci-fi novels of previous decades, co-creator and writer of the Netflix series, Alexander Woo, describes it as "a history of humanity from the point of first contact with an alien civilisation all the way to the end of the universe".

He added: "The scope and size of it was really exciting."

Meanwhile, Weiss said: "We like the same things about the books that so many other fans do.

"We're doing everything in our power to bring this story to life in the best, most impactful way possible. But reading the books is not a prerequisite for understanding or enjoying the show."

The three-body problem is the term given to a problem in physics and classical mechanics, and often more specifically astronomy. It is notable for having no general closed-form solution, unlike two-body problems.

It refers to the problem of working out the motion of three points of mass, or celestial bodies, which are moving under no influence other than their mutual gravitation.

With two bodies this is possible, but with three or more, the motion of the bodies becomes chaotic.

This means the problem cannot be solved according to Newton's laws of motion and Newton's law of universal gravitation.

The first specific three-body problem known to have been studied extensively regards the Moon, Earth and the Sun. If the motion of any of these were to be disturbed, it would be impossible to determine their end point or subsequent motion using a general solution, although the problem has been solved for some special cases.

Is there a trailer for 3 Body Problem?

Yes! The official trailer for 3 Body Problem has been released – you can watch it below.

3 Body Problem is coming to Netflix on Thursday 21st March 2024. Check out the rest of our Sci-Fi and Fantasy coverage, or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to see what’s on tonight.

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