Peacock to Stream Chinese Adaptation of Three-Body Problem Weeks Before Netflix Version Premieres

Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and Dan Weiss teamed up with The Terror: Infamy‘s Alexander Woo to adapt The Three-Body Problem, the award-winning sci-fi novel from Liu Cixin. 3 Body Problem is heading to Netflix on March 21st, but fans of the novel will get the chance to watch a different adaptation before the new show drops. It was announced by Peacock today that the streamer has acquired Tencent’s Three-Body, the Chinese adaptation of The Three-Body Problem that was released last year. The 30 episodes are hitting the streamer tomorrow, February 10th. 

“With all the buzz surrounding Netflix’s English adaptation, we’re excited about the opportunity for sci-fi and Chinese drama fans to watch the Chinese-language original (with English subtitles) ahead of the Hollywood adaptation,” NBCUniversal shared in a press release. 

The two adaptations are expected to be quite different. The Chinese adaptation is known to be extremely faithful to the book, almost to a fault. The first series follows characters in China who are faced with an alien invasion while the Netflix version expands the story, taking it internationally.

 Tencent’s Three-Body also covers the entire Remembrance of Earth’s Past trilogy by Cixin whereas Netflix’s eight-episode season only tackles the first book of the series. The Netflix version is also expected to focus on the Chinese cultural revolution, which is one of the only big things from the book taken out of Tencent’s version.

Here’s how Netflix describes the upcoming series: “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 unflinching detective to confront the greatest threat in humanity’s history.”

“I have the greatest respect for and faith in the creative team adapting The Three-Body Problem for television audiences,” original author Liu Cixin said at the time Netflix announced the series back in 2020. “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.”  

Three-Body is coming to Peacock on February 10th. 3 Body Problem debuts on Netflix on March 21st.