James Cameron discusses "The Three-Body Problem" with writer

Acclaimed Hollywood director James Cameron arrived in China on Monday to promote his new movie "Alita: Battle Angel," which is set to be released in China on February 22. During his promotional tour, he met and took part in a Q&A with Chinese sci-fi writer Liu Cixin, during which, Cameron spoke highly of Liu's novel "The Three-Body Problem," saying he looks forward to seeing it on the big screen.

Director James Cameron(L) and sci-fi writer Liu Cixin(R) speaking at an event, "Dialogue with Liu Cixin," in Beijing on February 18, 2019. [Photo: VCG]

Liu Cixin says adapting his story into a screenplay is difficult, given the depth of the original novel.

Cameron echoed Liu's concern. "A 2-hour movie is rather limited when trying to cover all the information from the original book. Thus, adaption is never an easy job," said Cameron.

Chinese Spring Festival hit, "The Wandering Earth," is a film adaptation of Liu's novel of the same title. "I wasn't sure about sci-fi themed movies before, but now I see the future for the sci-fi feature movie market in China," said Liu.

James Cameron, whose films are noted for their special effects, also took time to praise "The Wandering Earth," for its visual effects. "(This film) shows that the film's producers can compete with other visual effects companies around the world. China is ready to embrace this market," said Cameron.