One of the best sci-fi shows streaming on Netflix, “3 Body Problem” adapts the celebrated sci-fi trilogy “Remembrance of Earth’s Past” by Chinese author Liu Cixin. While elements of the adaptation are faithful to the source material, there is one major point that deviates from the author’s text: the location of the show. The original version primarily takes place in China, both in flashbacks and the present story. While Netflix’s show does have a Chinese setting for the former, the main narrative is set in the U.K.
According to co-showrunner David Benioff, one reason for the change of scenery was simply familiarity with the setting. He and co-showrunner Dan Weiss had previously worked in the region (specifically Northern Ireland) with a mainly U.K. crew. “I don’t know if it’s superstition or a feeling of they really know what they’re doing over there, that made us want to get back together with a bunch of the same people we worked with before,” Benioff said in an interview with Mashable. “Even though it’s a long trip and it would be a lot more convenient to work at home, we had such a great experience the first time around that we thought well, let’s try this again.”
3 Body Problem is a global show
Another factor driving the setting and diverse cast of characters of “3 Body Problem” is the fact that it is a global show. When Netflix originally obtained the rights to the story, it was for an adaptation in English. At the time, a press release from the streamer said the studio had “been granted the rights … to produce the English-language series adaptation and have assembled a talented and thoughtful creative team to do so.”
Benioff and Weiss added, “We look forward to spending the next years of our lives bringing this to life for audiences around the world.” It makes sense that this worldwide emphasis and English-language format naturally pulled the show into a more accessible presentation for international audiences.
It’s worth noting that the U.K. setting also creates a greater contrast with the show’s flashbacks to the Cultural Revolution in China. It tends to paint those past sequences in a drabber and, at times, sinister light, a fact that has caused controversy and outrage in China. It will be interesting to see how the show navigates this aspect of the adaptation, which has been renewed for what the executive producers promise will be an “epic conclusion” to the saga.
