Game of Thrones co-creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have found their next realm to conquer. Only this time they’re heading towards the stars. The duo and Alexander Woo are leading an adaptation of another sprawling book series, Netflix‘s sci-fi series based on The Three-Body Problem trilogy.
But they’re not the only big names attached. Rian Johnson and Rosamund Pike will serve as executive producers.
Netflix
Netflix has announced the first project for Benioff and Weiss since the pair signed a massive deal with the streaming site. They’ll write and executive produce an English-language series based on Chinese author Liu Cixin’s Remembrance of Earth’s Past trilogy, which explores humanity’s first contact with an alien civilization. Alexander Woo (The Terror: Infamy, True Blood) will also write and executive produce on the show.
“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,” said Benioff and Weiss in a statement. “We look forward to spending the next years of our lives bringing this to life for audiences around the world.”
TBS
Also joining the executive producer team is Johnson’s longtime producing partner Ram Bergman (Looper, Knives Out). Cixin will serve as a consulting producer. As will Ken Liu, who wrote the English translation for the series first and third books, The Three-Body Problem and Death’s End. The second book is The Dark Forest.
“Liu Cixin’s ability to interweave science with fiction made his vision of the future and extra-terrestrial contact feel more realistic than any other science fiction I’ve read,” said Peter Friedlander, Netflix’s Vice President, Original Series Drama, in a statement. “At the same time, I was also drawn in by the story of all of humanity vulnerable to the same external threat and how this both unifies and divides humans.” He also called all members of the creative team “fierce advocates for the source material.”
Bernadette Caulfield (Game of Thrones, The X-Files); Nena Rodrigue, President of Television for Johnson and Bergman’s production company T-Street; Lin Qi, Chairman of the rights-holders Yoozoo Group and The Three-Body Universe; and Zhao Jilong, Vice President of The Three-Body Universe, will also serve as EPs. Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment (Okja, Moonlight) and Rosamund Pike’s Primitive Streak round out the executive producer team.
Tor Books
“I have the greatest respect for and faith in the creative team adapting The Three-Body Problem for television audiences,” said Liu Cixin in the official announcement. “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.”
No time table for the show’s production was announced. But in the meantime feel free to insert your preferred joke about Benioff and Weiss adapting a finished books series.
Featured Image: HBO