3 Body Problem season 2: everything we know so far about the hit Netflix show’s return

Intense sci-fi 3 Body Problem is a stellar example of how Netflix, one of the best streaming services, executes an impressive foray into the genre. The show is adapted from Cixin Liu’s Remembrance of Earth’s Past trilogy into the English-language and it’s truly a vast and complicated book series to transform to TV, but it’s in the best of hands.

Spearheaded by Game of Thrones’ David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, alongside True Blood’s Alexander Woo, the trio tackled season 1’s alternate reality through a VR headset with ambitious scope, an impending alien invasion, and the complexities of how different people cope with such nearing fate.

In the books, a scientist makes contact with an alien race, the San-Ti, in Beijing. In the best Netflix show, the ‘Oxford Five’, a group of scientists and friends, make contact in London. Fortunately, they discover that the San-Ti’s journey to Earth will take 400 years, but on whose timeline? For our timeline at least, we’re keen for another season before four centuries pass, and luckily we won’t have to wait that long. Seemingly, not too long at all. Here’s everything we know about 3 Body Problem season 2.

Full spoilers follow for 3 Body Problem season 1. Potential spoilers are also discussed for season 2.

Yes, the San Ti may be 400 years away, but you won’t have to wait that long for 3 Body Problem season 2. In fact, in May 2024, 3 Body Problem was officially renewed. And not just for season 2. 3 Body Problem is set to be a trilogy, and during the official Television Academy panel in LA, showrunners and writers David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, and Alexander Woo, revealed that they’d be returning for season 2 and 3, culminating in the show’s conclusion.

As reported by Netflix Tudum, Weiss said: “We included a lot of what we loved from the [novels by Cixin Liu] in season 1, but the vast majority of reasons we wanted to make this show are in season 2. We always wanted to get to the final page of the third book, and it’s really, really thrilling for us that we will get to do just that.”

When it comes to a release date, Weiss was asked by Collider when’s the earliest they could start filming, to which he said: “Fall.” As fall has passed, we’ll take a look at season 1 for our best prediction. Filming took nine months between October 2021 and mid 2022. Then, it wasn’t released until March 2024. It’s important to note though that the release was delayed by the SAG-AFTRA strikes. As 3 Body Problem hasn’t commenced filming yet, we’d predict that we won’t see season 2 until at least 2026.

Major spoilers follow for 3 Body Problem season 1.

There’s no official cast confirmation, yet, but from how 3 Body Problem season 1 ended, we’d predict the following cast members to return:

• 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 Haas
• 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

As both space and time were impacted by the threat of the San-Ti’s arrival, there were a fair few deaths that fell mercy to it in 3 Body Problem season 1. The two most poignant being Will Downing (Alex Sharp) and Ye Wenjie (Rosalind Chao & Zine Tseng). While viewers didn’t witness the deaths, they did both meet their demise. So, unless they return in flashbacks, which the show has a penchant for especially when visiting the origins in China of the San-Ti’s first contact, then these two characters won’t be returning.

Full story spoilers follow for 3 Body Problem season 1.

As devotees to Liu’s trilogy, the creators are seemingly following the books as closely as they can. While there’s adaptations in terms of settings and revolving around the English language, as well as the inclusion of the Oxford Five, the plot is still in keeping with the books. In conversation with Collider, Benioff said: “The first season roughly follows the arc of the first book. The second season would probably roughly follow the second book. The third book is massive. It’s twice as long, I think, as the other two books.

So maybe that’s one season, maybe it’s two. But, you know, I think we’d need at least three, maybe four seasons to tell the whole story. And it’s a beautiful ending. I think all three of us thought that the last page of Liu Cixin’s epic was maybe the best final image we’d encountered in a sci-fi saga like this. It’s just incredibly moving and mind-blowing.”

The second book in Liu’s trilogy, which will follow season 2, is The Dark Forest and the official synopsis is: “Imagine the universe as a forest, patrolled by numberless and nameless predators. In this forest, stealth is survival – any civilisation that reveals its location is prey. Earth has. Now the predators are coming.

Crossing light years, the Trisolarians (known as the San-Ti in the show) will reach Earth in four centuries’ time. But the sophons, their extra-dimensional agents and saboteurs, are already here. Only the individual human mind remains immune to their influence.

This is the motivation for the Wallfacer Project, a last-ditch defence that grants four individuals almost absolute power to design secret strategies, hidden through deceit and misdirection from human and alien alike. Three of the Wallfacers are influential statesmen and scientists, but the fourth is a total unknown”

We know that Project Staircase failed and that humanity has to continue to prepare for an alien invasion. We also watched in season 1 as Saul Durand was named as one of the three Wallfacers of the show with no idea why. So, the storyline has been set up to continue their plan against the San-Ti and that all hope is not lost.

When it comes to the length of 3 Body Problem season 1, Weiss told Vulture: “Eight episodes always felt right to us, at least for this season. It’s not a superfast burn. It takes some time for people to understand, for all the threads to come together, the video game and the countdown and the suicide-slash-murder investigations. Taking 10 or 20 episodes to answer that question didn’t feel viable for the kind of show we were making.” Perhaps season 2 will follow suit.

Considering the cast and crew have yet to begin filming 3 Body Problem season 2, there’s no trailer to share. As soon as there is, we’ll be sure to update here.

All eight episodes of 3 Body Problem season 1 are available to stream on Netflix, one of the world’s best streaming services, right now. As Netflix are responsible for the renewal of season 2 and 3 and the creation of season 1, we’d fully expect the platform to remain the exclusive home for the epic sci-fi drama.

Yes, it absolutely will. As already mentioned, 3 Body Problem was renewed for season 3 alongside season 2. But, during the announcement, Weiss, Benioff, and Woo revealed that season 3 would be the show’s conclusion.

While there’s previously been conversation around wanting to run a season 4, it doesn’t seem to be the case. Though as reported by Forbes, the show’s creators refer to the remainder of the show in years, rather than seasons. Benioff said: “By the time we finish with the show, it will be seven years we’ve devoted to it.”

He added: “We’re now at a place where we get to tell the rest of the story, and, yes, we have enough time to tell the rest of the story the way we want to and that’s immensely gratifying.” Either way, the creators say they’ll reach the final page of the trilogy and for any fans of the books or fans of the show, it’ll be an epic ride.

For more Netflix TV show-based coverage, read our guides on Stranger Things season 5, Wednesday season 2, One Piece season 2, and Squid Game season 2.