In May 2024, it was confirmed that the Netflix hit 3 Body Problem would be back for both season two and season three by creators David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, and Alexander Woo. It was initially announced in April that there would be a renewal, but without any specifics about how long the show would run for.
During a 3 Body Problem Television Academy panel at the Netflix FYSEE space, it was established there’d be enough seasons to cover Cixin Liu’s written trilogy.
“We included a lot of what we loved from the [novels] in Season 1, but the vast majority of reasons we wanted to make this show are in Season 2,” Weiss said during the panel. “We always wanted to get to the final page of the third book, and it’s really, really thrilling to us that we will get to do just that.”
Here’s what we know about the series continuation so far.
What will season thee of 3 Body Problem be about?
The novels are about humanity’s first contact with an alien civilization as told through the POV of a young woman in 1960s China. Presumably, the third season will follow the plot of the third book. But since season two has not yet been released, it’s hard to say exactly what changes or creative decisions might alter the story or the one after it. Weiss discussed season two at Deadline’s Contenders TV in April.
“The story gets really wild in the best possible way,” he said. “With something that’s that wild, there are a lot of choices to be made and a lot of things to be figured out. We’ve been putting our heads together to figure them out recently especially the past couple of months.”
In an interview with the Total Film Podcast, Woo suggested that the final book might even be split into two seasons of TV.
“We have some really strong ideas about what to do in a season two, and then it’s a little hazier down the line,” he said. “But we want to get to the end of the trilogy, and whether that’s three or four [seasons], you know, or some other number.”
Will the cast return for season 3?
Any actors that survive season two have a good chance of appearing in season three. That will likely include Jess Hong (Jin Cheng), Eiza González (Auggie Salazar), Benedict Wong (Clarence “Da” Shi), Jovan Adepo (Saul Durand), Liam Cunningham (Thomas Wade), Sea Shimooka (Sophon), Marlo Kelly (Tatiana), and Saamer Usmani (Raj).
“I really hope that we get a season 2,” Hong said in an interview with ELLE.com. “Because Jin Cheng is one of the coolest, juiciest characters I’ve ever played. But also I’ve read the books, so I know what’s coming. It would be awesome to have to justify those decisions and enter those worlds.”
Wish granted.
When will season three arrive?
A date hasn’t even been confirmed for season two, but in a SXSW interview with Collider, Benioff, Weiss, and Woo called it a “a very labor-intensive show, and it doesn’t get less labor-intensive. It doesn’t get easier to make; it gets harder to make.”
They estimated season two would not be out until 2026, so we have some time to go before season three.
This post will be updated.