3 Body Problem Behind-The Scenes Tragedy Is an Even Bigger Jaw-Dropper Than Judgement Day
One of the show's executives was the victim of violent revenge.
On March 21, Netflix hosted a big premiere – an adaptation of the most famous science fiction novel by modern writer Liu Cixin from the authors of Game of Thrones.
3 Body Problem is the second attempt to transfer a large-scale novel about the fate of Earth in the universe. The first was made by Chinese filmmakers, who created a 30-episode series that followed the plot of the book almost line by line.
David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, who had already cut their teeth on adaptations of George Martin 's novels, rethought and globalized the Chinese work, preserving some of the most important and spectacular scenes.
If the show's plot raises questions among viewers, it's technical side is admired by many fans, and no wonder – 3 Body Problem is one of the platform's most expensive projects, with a reported budget of $160 million.
Shocking Events Behind The Show’s Production
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But while the director and producers struggled to bring a large-scale epic to the screen, a drama unfolded behind the scenes that was no less shocking than the events of the series itself.
Lin Qi, a prominent young billionaire, acquired the rights to Three Body Problem in 2014. To lead all the business processes, he hired Xu Yao, a respected lawyer, and made him CEO. Xu Yao was one of the executives who secured the Netflix deal – for which Lin set a payout of $3 million for Xu.
However, Xu's performance turned out to be much worse than Lin expected, forcing billionaire to cut his salary and bring in additional executives to improve business process. Xu, who retained his position as CEO, was angry about the demotion, and to make matters worse, he was not officially named a producer on the Netflix project.
Xu Yao Poisoned Lin Qi In an Act of Revenge
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Driven by anger and revenge, Xu planned Lin's murder – the lawyer was obsessed with Breaking Bad and even set up his own laboratory where he experimented with poisons to make sure they would be effective against Lin.
Xu poisoned the businessman and his colleagues, disguising the deadly toxins as pills according to some reports, and tea according to others. Lin unwittingly ingested the poison and was soon rushed to the hospital, where it was discovered that he had been poisoned, although the specific poisons were not determined.
The police became suspicious of Xu, who could have saved Lin's life if he had revealed the nature of the poisons. However, he decided not to do so, thus ensuring the death of his former colleague.
Xu Tried to Avoid Punishment
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Xu not only hired lawyers to defend himself, but also carefully prepared for a psychiatric examination in order to avoid legal punishment.
It is known that Xu had bought books to find “the right way” to undergo a psychiatric examination, and had searched the documents to research cases where punishment was avoided through psychiatric examination.
All of this happened in 2020, and Xu had the opportunity to appeal. But when the show premiered worldwide, Xu was sentenced to death for Lin's murder and the attempted murder of two other colleagues, who survived but were left with lifelong injuries.
Lin Qi, who is posthumously credited as executive producer of 3 Body Problem, has died at the age of 39. The death of the talented entrepreneur in the prime of his life shocked the industry and resonated widely not only in China, but all over the world.