3 Body Problem, the new Netflix sci-fi adaptation, is connected to a recent death sentence after one of the show’s producers was murdered.
Xi Yao was sentenced to death for the murder of Chinese billionaire Lin Qi days before 3 Body Problem hit Netflix.
According to theBBC, Yao, a well-known lawyer at the time, was hired by Qi to run The Three Body Universe subsidiary. The company was in charge of securing the intellectual property rights for Liu Cixin’s Hugo Award–winning novel for film and TV adaptations.
However, things started to take a turn for the worst when Qi placed other executives in charge of The Three Body Universe’s business operations, effectively sidelining Yao from the deal he helped make happen.
After this slight, Yao began to plot revenge against Qi and set up a company in Japan to acquire hundreds of poisons, which he then tested on dogs, cats, and other pets. When he finally found the poison he wanted to use, Yao disguised it as probiotic pills and gave them to Qi.
Yao also poisoned several beverages found in the company’s office, such as water and whiskey, and four other people got sick, but all of them survived.
“The plot is as bizarre as a Hollywood blockbuster, and the technique is professional enough to be called the Chinese version of Breaking Bad,” Chinese news outlet Phoenix News also said.
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The Chinese court who found Yao guilty of his crime went on record to call the crime “premeditated” and “extremely despicable.”
After his death, Qi was posthumously credited as an executive producer in the end credits in 3 Body Problem.
“It was certainly disconcerting. When you work in this business, you’re expecting all sorts of issues to arise. Somebody poisoning the boss is not generally one of them,” David Benioff toldThe Hollywood Reporter.
Kayla Harrington was a TV & Movies Writer on Dexerto’s US team, specializing in The Boys, The Walking Dead, House of the Dragon, Marvel and Star Wars. She also has bylines at Mashable, BuzzFeed, and The Mary Sue.
