Amazon May Adapt Hugo-Winning Chinese Novel Three-Body Problem For $1 Billion

Image: Tor Books

Liu Cixin's Hugo-winning Chinese novel The Three-Body Problem could be Amazon's Game of Thrones. According to the Financial Times, Amazon is in talks for a deal to develop a three-season television series based on the trilogy, and it may pay up to $1 billion to make it happen.

Financial Times reports that international investors claim that Amazon is pursuing a deal to produce three seasons based on Remembrance of Earth's Past, the sci-fi trilogy widely known by the title of its first novel, The Three-Body Problem.

Chinese news outlets reported a statement by YooZoo Pictures saying that it remains the sole owners of the film and film and TV rights for The Three-Body Problem. However, YooZoo didn't confirm if Amazon negotiated with them.

When Chinese news outlet MTime.com asked Cixin about the development, he said that he knew nothing about the project and doesn't know if he'll be invited to write the script for it.

This sounds like a better idea than Amazon's previously reported $500 million The Lord of the Rings TV series.

Here's the Amazon synopsis of the Three-Body Problem novel: '

Set against the backdrop of China's Cultural Revolution, a secret military project sends signals into space to establish contact with aliens. An alien civilization on the brink of destruction captures the signal and plans to invade Earth. Meanwhile, on Earth, different camps start forming, planning to either welcome the superior beings and help them take over a world seen as corrupt, or to fight against the invasion. The result is a science fiction masterpiece of enormous scope and vision.

In 2015, an English translation by Ken Liu won the Hugo Award for Best Novel.

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