Chinese TV Series Based on The Three-Body Problem to Welcome a Second Season

This year, the Chinese TV series based on “The Three-Body Problem”, a popular sci-fi novel series that won its author Liu Cixin a Hugo Award, was highly praised. Bai Yicong, the chief producer, admitted that the TV series, which took a seven-year effort, was a high-risk, long-term and low-return project, and that he would put more strength into the second season to reward the numerous fans of the sci-fi drama.

The series has been broadcast on CCTV, Tencent Video, Migu Video, WeTV and YouTube since January 15. At present, more than 310,000 viewers have watched the show and scored 8.5 points on Douban, a Chinese media review platform.

Sun Zhonghuai, vice president of Tencent, CEO of Tencent Video and chief producer of the TV series, revealed some of the reasons for choosing “The Three-Body Problem”, saying, “It is not only a scarce and magnificent sci-fi story, but is also deeply rooted in Chinese culture and thought. It is a rare sci-fi work driven by Chinese people and affecting the whole world.”

(Source: Tencent Video)

Bai said, “There are almost no experienced teams doing sci-fi works in China. The play made the audience believe that China has its own team and has the ability to challenge the field, which is a very beautiful start.”

In the “Guzheng Project”, the climax of the original work, the 200-meter-long cruise ship was cut into pieces by the blade at a distance of 50cm in the Panama Canal. In a China News report, Bai said that it took more than three months to explore a suitable location for the project, 23 days to complete filming, and another two years to finish editing.

(Source: Tencent Video)

Yang Lei, the general director, revealed that the second season has entered the preparatory stage and an outline is currently being produced. Compared with the first season, it will be an even bigger adventure. Luo Ji, the main character, will see the world 205 years after the crisis, where forest-like underground cities and flying cars dominate the world.

SEE ALSO: “The Three Body Problem” Adaptation Copyright Holder to Develop Film Version in China

At the beginning of 2023, the TV series based on “The Three-Body Problem” and the movie “The Wandering Earth 2” enjoyed rave reviews, seemingly bringing Chinese sci-fi film and television into a new era. Next, nearly 10 sci-fi dramas will be launched on various platforms. According to China’s Radio and Television Administration, from January to October, 2022, 398 TV dramas were filmed nationwide, among which 8 were with sci-fi themes.