One of the most anticipated Netflix releases of 2024 was 3 Body Problem, a TV adaptation of a novel of the same name which came out in March of the year to critical acclaim. It sat at the top spot of the streamer's most-watched movies list for three weeks and spent another seven in the top 10, and now we know the future of the show.
After hinting at future seasons in May 2024, Netflix has confirmed that a second and third season are in the works. 3 Body Problem season 2 doesn't have a confirmed release date but it sounds like the creative team was always planning for future seasons of the show.
"We always wanted to get to the final page of the third book," D.B. Weiss (one of the creators of the show) pledged to fans at a panel for the show at the Television Academy, when confirming the second and third seasons.
The show, which follows a group of physicists as their understanding of their field changes (and points to an imminent threat), is based on the first of a trilogy of books, collectively called the Remembrance of Earth's Past by novelist Liu Cixin.
Here's what we know so far about 3 Body Problem season 2, so you can get excited for the upcoming episodes.
3 Body Problem season 2 potential release window
Other than joking that season 2 will take less than 400 years to come out in a Tudum post, Netflix hasn't confirmed when the next two seasons of 3 Body Problem will arrive.
The first season dropped in its entirety on Thursday, March 21. Netflix generally doesn't drop sequel seasons of its shows (at least ones it produced itself) within a year of its predecessor, so don't expect to see it before March 2025.
3 Body Problem season 2 could take even longer to come out than that, though, given the scope of the novel and how much work it could take to adapt.
3 Body Problem season 2 plot
In confirming three seasons of the show, Netflix has implied that each season will adapt one of the three Remembrance of Earth's Past novels. If true, that means 3 Body Problem season 2 will adapt the second book: The Dark Forest.
We don't want to discuss in too much detail the plot of The Dark Forest, for those who haven't finished (or started) the first season, but loosely speaking it follows humanity's next steps after the end of The Three-Body Problem (the plot of which is the first season of the show).
If you don't mind potential spoilers, Wikipedia has a really lengthy plot synopsis that'll tell you what happens.
As Liu Cixin's novels jump around between characters and time periods a lot more than 3 Body Problem, it's possible that the creators will change some details in order to keep a similar cast. So we'll have to see.
3 Body Problem season 2 cast
The cast for 3 Body Problem season 2 hasn't been confirmed. While some characters definitely won't return due to deaths or other plot reasons, others may or may not return depending on whether the actors sign on for two more seasons.
3 Body Problem had an expansive cast with lots of actors. For some context, here's our cast list for the first season:
- Benedict Wong (Doctor Strange, Marco Polo) as ex-intelligence officer, Da Shi
- Liam Cunningham (Game of Thrones, The Last Voyage of the Demeter) as Wade, the leader of the world's most elite intelligence operation
- Jovan Adepo (Sorry For Your Loss, The Stand) as Saul Durand, a gifted physicist and one of the "Oxford Five"
- John Bradley (Game of Thrones, Moonfall), a skilled scientist who used his physics degree to build a snack empire, and a member of the "Oxford Five"
- Eiza González (Ambulance, Baby Driver) as Auggie Salazar. A nanotech trailblazer, and another of the "Oxford Five"
- Jess Hong (Inked, The Brokenwood Mysteries) as Jin Cheng, genius theoretical physicist and one of the "Oxford Five"
- Alex Sharp (The Trial of the Chicago 7, One Life) as Will Downing, a sixth-form physics teacher who is also part of the "Oxford Five"
- Zine Tseng and Rosalind Chao (The First Lady, Better Things) as Ye Wenjie, an astrophysics prodigy who is at the heart of the mystery
- Saamer Usmani (Inventing Anna, What/If) as Raj Varma, a naval officer who is dating Jin Cheng
- Sir Jonathan Pryce (The Crown, Wolf Hall) and Ben Schnetzer (Y: The Last Man, Pride) as Mike Evans, an environmentalist turned billionaire oil tycoon.
- Marlo Kelly (Joe vs) Carole, Home and Away) as Tatiana, a member of Mike's organization
- Sea Shimooka (Arrow) as Sophon, an avatar who appears within a VR Game at the heart of the show
- Eve Ridley (Casualty) as Follower, a 9-year-old whom Jin encounters inside the game
