Just as we’ve started detailing the best sci-fi movies on Netflix, we have an update on their upcoming sci-fi TV series, Altered Carbon. The show, which is set to run for 10 episodes (a welcomed reprieve from Netflix’s typically overlong 13-episode model), is based on the Richard K. Morgan’s 2002 novel of the same name. Taking place in the 25th century, where the human mind has been digitized and souls are transferable, a former interstellar warrior put into “storage” is later downloaded into the future.
That warrior, Takeshi Kovacs, is on a quest to solve the old murder in a world where death is nearly obsolete, and in doing so, he’ll be granted the possibility of a new life on Earth. Today, Variety reports that Netflix has cast Suicide Squad’s Joel Kinnaman in the role of Kovacs, with Game of Thrones’ Miguel Sapochnik (who directed Season 5’s stellar “Hardhome”) directing the first episode. Laeta Kalogridis (Terminator Genisys, but conversely, Shutter Island) will be writing the series and serving as showrunner.
Kinnaman’s casting also suggests that he may not be back as a series regular on another Netflix series, House of Cards. Though I haven’t read the book series, by all accounts, the character of Kovacs sounds like a badass of the highest order, and it seems that the story is both action-packed and fueled by a central mystery (as so many great series are). Though Netflix has a healthy number of original series under their belts at this point, they haven’t yet ventured into sci-fi, so it will be interesting to see how they approach the project visually and tonally.
And if you have read the books, let us know (without spoilers!) what should we be the most excited for? And do you think Kinnaman is a good fit for Kovacs?
