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The highly anticipated film adaptation of “The Three-Body Problem” has finally made headlines!

On June 16th, at the opening forum of the 26th Shanghai International Film Festival, Wang Changtian, the chairman of Enlight Media, revealed that they are collaborating with Three-Body Universe Company to develop the film version of “The Three-Body Problem,” directed by Zhang Yimou. The project is currently in the pre-production stage.

Following this announcement, “Zhang Yimou directs The Three-Body Problem film” quickly trended on Weibo.

Netizens expressed their hopes that Zhang Yimou will treat the female characters from the original novel with care and cherish the “The Three-Body Problem” project. Several users suggested casting Zhang Ziyi and Gong Li as Ye Wenjie.

When it comes to Chinese science fiction, Liu Cixin’s “The Three-Body Problem” is an unavoidable topic.

On January 15, 2023, the television series adaptation of “The Three-Body Problem” aired on CCTV-8, Tencent Video, and Migu Video. Within an hour of its release, the show’s popularity score exceeded 25,000, making it the fastest Tencent Video series to break the 20,000 mark and setting a new record for the highest popularity score on the first day. Subsequently, the international version of “The Three-Body Problem” series also premiered on Netflix. However, audiences still longed to see “The Three-Body Problem” on the big screen.

Now, the movie “The Three-Body Problem” has finally seen new progress.

On the morning of June 16th, at the “Opening Forum: The Path of Light and Shadow - A New Departure” of the 26th Shanghai International Film Festival, Wang Changtian announced that the “The Three-Body Problem” movie, jointly developed by Enlight Media and Three-Body Universe, has confirmed Zhang Yimou as the director and has entered the pre-production phase.

Enlight Media has mentioned in its recent annual reports that there are 40 movies in the preparation/production stage, including the new “The Three-Body Problem.”

Wang Changtian believes that science fiction films represent the level of a country’s film industry. There is still a vast development space for Chinese science fiction films. He candidly hopes that the “The Three-Body Problem” movie will not only capture the essence of the novel but also bring breakthroughs and innovations, leading Chinese cinema to future international market achievements.

Media reports state that Liu Cixin sold the rights of“The Three-Body Problem” for 100,000 yuan. According to the Yangcheng Evening News, in 2009, the second year after the publication of “The Three-Body Problem,” Zhang Fanfan and his wife Song Chunyu purchased the film and television rights from Liu Cixin, who was not yet well-known, for just 100,000 yuan.

As reported by China Securities Journal, in early 2018, Yoozoo Network acquired the original film and television rights holder Zhang Fanfan’s company for 120 million yuan, securing the rights to “The Three-Body Problem” and establishing the Three-Body Universe Company to advance and implement IP projects.

Previously, Yoozoo Films had announced the official start of filming for the science fiction movie “The Three-Body Problem,” directed by Zhang Fanfan. However, years passed, and the eagerly awaited film adaptation did not materialize, leading Yoozoo Films to announce an indefinite delay of “The Three-Body Problem” movie.

Following the murder of Yoozoo Network founder and chairman Lin Qi by the then CEO of Yoozoo Films and Three-Body Universe Company, Xu Yao, in 2020, there were no further updates on “The Three-Body Problem” film. Additionally, due to the failure to obtain a public screening license and the refusal to refund advertising fees, Yoozoo Films was ordered to pay 1.42 million yuan in 2021 over a “The Three-Body Problem” advertising dispute. In 2023, media reports indicated that the Three-Body Universe Company would disassociate from Yoozoo.