The latest Netflix science-fiction series 3 Body Problem premiered last March 21, 2024, to generally favorable reviews.
Created for television by David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, and Alexander Woo, the story is loosely based on the Hugo Award-winning Chinese novel The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin.
It is a trilogy, divided into three books: The Three-Body Problem, The Dark Forest, and Death's End.
In a nutshell, the story unfolds during the Chinese Cultural Revolution and centers on astrophysicist Ye Wenjie, deployed by the military to a covert base in a remote area.
Unbeknownst to Ye, her actions lead to contact with scientists from the future and extraterrestrial beings, catalyzing significant repercussions for humanity.
It's a plot bound to thrill sci-fi enthusiasts and intrigue even casual viewers.
3 Body Problem's spectacular storyline however pales in comparison to the real-life tragedy that unfolded behind the scenes.
A PROMISING VENTURE
The book-to-TV series journey of The Three-Body Problem started with Lin Qi, an entrepreneur and founder of the Chinese gaming company Yoozoo Games.
Lin owned the rights to The Three-Body Problem book series, with plans to capitalize on its earning potential through licensing and merchandise.
He appointed a lawyer named Xu Yao as CEO to lead operations and bring his vision to fruition.
Part of Xu's job was to secure a deal with Netflix to take on the novel and turn it into a series for streaming consumption.
Xu was reportedly paid a salary of nearly $3 million for the task but was later reduced to $750,000 after Lin felt dissatisfied with the CEO's performance.
Lin also hired additional executives to help in business operations.
These moves angered Xu, which was made worse after finding out that he was left out of the credits on the Netflix project, with no mention of his name as a producer.
PLOTTING MURDER
Feeling disrespected, Xu hatched a plan to exact revenge on Lin.
It was reported that Xu was inspired by the American crime drama series Breaking Bad.
Xu moved to Japan where he started formulating poison substances from various chemical ingredients.
He went on to poison his boss and his colleagues, tricking them into thinking that they were consuming probiotic tablets.
It was initially speculated that Xu laced with poison the tea drank by the gaming executive and his staff.
But further investigation revealed that Xu mixed the poison disguised as pills with a bottle containing probiotic tablets.
The police apprehended Xu while Lin and other company staff were in the hospital, fighting for their lives.
Lin, 39, died on December 25, 2020, after being hospitalized for ten days.
It was revealed that a neurotoxin common in puffer fish was found in the entrepreneur's system.
Xu was sentenced to death by the Shanghai First Intermediate People's Court on March 22, 2024, for the murder of Lin.
Interestingly, Xu's sentencing coincided with the worldwide premiere of 3 Body Problem on Netflix.
Talk about poetic justice.