The Three-Body Problem is not being the expected success for Netflix. The series from the creators of Game of Thrones has ranked second in audience during its premiere, something that is far from being the great triumph expected by the creators and by Netflix. However, it has still been an incredible production, and some scenes have been particularly difficult to shoot.
One of the most complex scenes, however, has been one that could seem simpler at first. This is explained by Dan Weiss, co-creator of the show, in The Hollywood Reporter. But the complexity was not due to the scene itself, but to the actors and writers strike that devastated the industry last year.
It was delayed several months… because of a scene in a bar
At first, The Three-Body Problem was supposed to be released much earlier, but something was missing to complete the first season of the series: a scene that they had to shoot just when the strikes arrived. The entire series was already filmed and it was a retake that they felt they had to add to make everything clearer, but they had it ready one day before the strike.
“There were literally five pages, but we really thought it was worth doing,” the showrunner says. “Netflix was very good about it. It would have been very easy for them to say something like ‘You have a finished series that is ready to premiere. Holding it back for a scene that is five minutes of two people in a bar…’ it took a bit of strength for them to simply say yes.”
Peter Friedlander, Vice President of Original Series at Netflix in the United States and Canada, has added his own version of the story: “I want to tell the best version of this story, and if there is a critical moment that the producers want to capture and we have the time and resources to do it, I want to solve it with them. They have been total professionals, total collaborators, and they have a very clear vision. I don’t want the audience to miss that. So it wasn’t a difficult decision for me.”
