In early 2024, a brand-new science fiction series crashed onto Netflix and quickly dominated the platform’s charts for several weeks. We’re talking, of course, about 3 Body Problem. Despite its impressive success, a rare feat for the sci-fi genre, the show’s renewal faced a surprising delay. Eventually, Netflix confirmed that 3 Body Problem would return to complete its adaptation of Cixin Liu‘s acclaimed novel trilogy Remembrance of Earth’s Past across two final seasons. Since then, fans have eagerly awaited news about when they can dive back into the epic story of Earth’s existential threat, but updates have been scarce. However, a new report has now revealed when production on the next season is set to begin.
According to a new report filed with the Hungarian National Film Office, filming for Seasons 2 and 3 will happen back-to-back. It’s news that will excite fans as it should slim the possibility of another extended wait between the final two installments to help the series conclude smoothly. The report also confirms a major location change, with the series moving from the UK, where Season 1 was primarily shot, to Hungary, where shooting will be done in various regions of the European country. Production is scheduled to begin on July 8, 2025, and is expected to run through August 2, 2027.
While no reason has been revealed regarding the decision to shift locations, it is likely due to the 30% tax incentive provided by the Hungarian government, which will help production save costs. For Season 1, the production received a 25% incentive, around $56.1 million. With Hungary’s competitive offer, the amount grows to about $80 million, a figure calculated from the production budget for Seasons 2 and 3, which the report reveals to be around $267 million. Season 1 also utilized filming locations across Europe and the U.S., and the same is expected with the next seasons, however, additional international sites for the upcoming seasons have yet to be revealed.
‘3 Body Problem’ Showrunners Promise a Bonkers Season 2
Adapting Liu‘s scientifically complex source material was no easy task for the showrunners, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, who’ve both admitted to the technicalities of interpreting the complex world on screen. However, it was this challenge that drew the creative duo behind Game of Thrones to the project. And by many indications, they aced their target, producing an entertaining epic that didn’t dumb down the science. “You don’t want people to be pushing pause and hitting Wikipedia every five minutes,” Weiss explained of their simplified yet faithful approach. “In the book, he’s explaining all this stuff to you anyway in writing. It was a challenge, and ultimately, that was what drew us to the project in the first place.”
They rose to the challenge with Season 1 and hope to outperform their success with Season 2, which will adapt the even more technical second novel, The Dark Forest. Promising that Season 2 will even be more “bonkers,” Weiss recently teased, “This kind of eases you into the world of the story, but the story gets really wild in the best possible way. 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 over the past couple of months.”
If their vision comes to life as planned, the final seasons of 3 Body Problem could be even more thrilling. With production set to kick off this summer, fans can look forward to more updates soon, so stay tuned.
via Collider