Book adaptations are tricky. Just look at the films made from Stephen King novels for proof. But perhaps no modern book has had as much controversy regarding the adaptations than Liu Cixin‘s “Three-Body Problem.” Even though it’s a fairly recent book, we’ve seen multiple adaptations, each with its own unique flare and controversy. And now, it appears, we’re getting another.
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According to THR, acclaimed Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou is set to direct a film based on the international bestselling novel, “Three-Body Problem.” The film will tell the story of a group of people from the past, present, and future who come across an alien civilization from a neighboring solar system.
Zhang is probably best known for films such as “To Live,” “Hero,” “House of the Flying Daggers,” and “The Great Wall.” However, his most recent output seems to be focused squarely on Chinese audiences, with some calling it propaganda.
As mentioned, we’ve seen multiple adaptations of “Three-Body Problem” in recent years. The novel is written by a Chinese author, so it’s not surprising the first adaptation was a faithful story that was made for Chinese audiences. The next adaptation is done for international audiences through Netflix, spearheaded by “Game of Thrones” showrunners, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. That adaptation got skewered by the Chinese media because of its diverse cast of non-Asian actors. Even still, Netflix has given the series two more seasons to wrap up its story. Now, we’re going back to China for a new film based on the novel, which considering Zhang is attached, is likely going to be made solely for its home country.
At least all of these adaptations are based on a source material that is wonderful. Even if we get various degrees of faithfulness, each still has a solid structure to build from.
There’s no anticipated release date for Zhang Yimou’s “Three-Body Problem” just yet.