3 Body Problem Creators Unveil the ‘Very Funny’ Way Barack Obama Turned Down a Cameo

Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss wanted Barack Obama for their new show, 3 Body Problem, but he used humor to turn it down.

3 Body Problem, Netflix’s upcoming sci-fi series from Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, wanted to include a Barack Obama cameo, but the former POTUS declined the offer.

Based on Liu Cixin’s novel The Three-Body Problem, the upcoming series will star Benedict Wong (Doctor Strange), Eiza González (Baby Driver), and Sir Jonathan Pryce (The Crown), from the Game of Thrones creators, alongside Chinese American producer Alexander Woo. However, the creators had ambitious plans for the sci-fi series, including a cameo from former POTUS Barack Obama. Unfortunately, he turned it down, with a funny explanation.

“He did sign a very funny note though, when we tried to get him for a cameo,” Benioff told USA Today about trying to get the former president on board. “It was to the effect of, ‘In case there ever is a real alien invasion, I think I should probably save myself for that crisis.‘” Weiss added, “He wants to keep his powder dry in case there’s a real thing.”

The decision to include Obama wasn’t random. The former president previously declared himself a major fan of Liu Cixin’s novel. “The scope of it was immense. So that was fun to read,” Obama said. “Partly because my day-to-day problems with Congress seem fairly petty — not something to worry about. Aliens are about to invade!”

While Barack Obama has yet to make his acting debut, the former president is involved in the entertainment industry. In 2018, he and former First Lady Michelle Obama founded the production company Higher Ground Productions. The same year, they signed a multi-year deal with Netflix, and served as an executive producer for 2023’s Rustin and Leave the World Behind, among other titles. His production company won an Academy Award for the documentary American Factory.

3 Body Problem Had A Successful Debut

The series was a hit at the South by Southwest (SXSW) film festival. The upcoming Netflix show imagines a world where humans must endure life-and-death struggles to prepare for an extraterrestrial invasion, and it will be the second adaptation of Liu Cixin’s novel after the 2023 Chinese television series Three-Body. Ahead of its release, 3 Body Problem boasts a Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with a73% score from 30 reviews.

The first season will consist of eight episodes, and the first two are directed by Derek Tsang (Better Days). Tsai Chin, John Bradley, Liam Cunningham, Jovan Adepo, Rosalind Chao, Ben Schnetzer, and Eve Ridley, round up the cast. The series had a huge budget, with Netflix giving the creators $20 million per episode, more than they had available for Game of Thrones‘ final season.

3 Body Problem will premiere globally on Netflix on March 21, 2024.