One of the sci-fi highlights of 2018, Netflix’s Altered Carbon will return be returning this February! It’s been a long wait, but we can now confirm that the second season is on the way soon. Below we discuss the release date and everything season 2 from casting news to trailers and what to expect.
We’ll be providing audiences a recap of the first season as a gentle reminder of the events that took place, not to mention some small background information for anyone wanting to watch Altered Carbon for the first time spoiler-free. Alongside other incredible Originals like Stranger Things, and Sense 8, Altered Carbon has already solidified its place as one the most captivating sci-fi series on Netflix. Paying homage to the future-noir stylism that is much credited to Blade Runner, as a whole Altered Carbon is a visual spectacle.
In the not too distant future humanity is overcome death by transferring one’s consciousness into a new body. Known as “sleeves” these bodies are taken from convicts and other deviants. Awakening from a 100-year sleep, Takeshi Kovacs is recruited by the richest man on earth to solve his own murder.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MzbLQBeR9Y
Season 2 Release Date
We finally have confirmation that the second season of Altered Carbon will be coming to Netflix on the 27th of February, 2020.
Your re-sleeving is now complete. 2.27.20. #AlteredCarbon pic.twitter.com/h4VtaCp6Wh
— Altered Carbon (@AltCarb) January 21, 2020
What does the Season 1 ending tell us about Season 2?
One of the key story arcs throughout is the underlying UN resolution which would affect the business practices of Takeshi’s sister. At the end of season one, the new family (or pack) revealed the truth and Bancroft and Ray’s business went down for exploiting grounders.
It was also revealed how Reiker was framed which is likely going to be a key plot going forward into season two. There is also the possibility of Kovacs to potentially bring back his ex-lover from 250 years past, Quell, as it was revealed her stack is still out there.
We’ve embedded possibly one of the best explanations of season one below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=da9bV9QGNhM
Has Netflix Renewed Altered Carbon for Season 2?
Official renewal status: Renewed
At long, long last, Netflix has given the green light to season 2. What took so long? It’s likely that having to recast the lead role plus as we’ll look over below, the second season is going to be a big one.
New season. New sleeve. #AlteredCarbon has been renewed for Season 2. 🦄🦄
— Altered Carbon (@AltCarb) July 27, 2018
How many episodes will the second season feature?
It has been confirmed that the second season of Altered Carbon will arrive with a total of 8 episodes.
We also have the episode titles for Altered Carbon season 2:
| Episode Number | Name | Director | Written By |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phantom Lady | Ciaran Donnelly | Laeta Kalogridis |
| 2 | Payment Deferred | Ciaran Donnelly | Sarah Nicole Jones |
| 3 | Nightmare Alley | MJ Bassett | Michael R. Perry |
| 4 | Shadow of a Doubt | MJ Bassett | Sang Kyu Kim |
| 5 | I Wake Up Screaming | Jeremy Webb | Cortney Norris |
| 6 | Bury Me Dead | Jeremy Webb | Adam Lash & Cori Uchida |
| 7 | Experiment Perilous | Salli Richardson-Whitfield | Nevin Densham |
| 8 | Broken Angels | Salli Richardson-Whitfield | Alison Schapker & Elizabeth Padden |
Plot and Casting Changes
One possible reason for the delay in announcement is because of the fact that they may or may not be skipping the next Takeshi Kovacs novel. Season 1 told the complete story of the first novel but according to Variety, the next season may skip over book number two as it’s simply too ambitious.
The showrunner spoke about the book saying: “The second book involves a worldwide war with nuclear explosions, some space travel, a giant alien dreadnought and an interstellar fight between aliens. It is prohibitively expensive in scope.”
Kovacs could return in season 2
Regarding Joel Kinnaman’s Future
From early on there were rumours of Kovacs return in the second season but that he’d be “re-sleeved.” That’s now come to fruition as Joel Kinnaman won’t be returning for season two.
The re-sleeving mechanic of the show gives them the opportunity to refresh its cast on a regular basis. One cast member even referred to it being a “wet-dream” to the show creators. The shows main star also re-iterated this stating:
“I don’t know if I would be in the second season. I think there’s a big chance that Kovacs would be re-sleeved if there was a second season…”
A New Lead
It has been confirmed that Avengers and Captain America star Anthony Mackie will replace Joel Kinnaman as Takeshi Kovacs. Considering the nature of the lore in Altered Carbon, it is no surprise that Kinnaman was set to be replaced.
The full cast for season 2 has been confirmed with the following actors:
| Role | Cast Member | Where Have I Seen/Heard Them Before? |
|---|---|---|
| Takeshi Kovacs | Anthony Mackie | The Hurt Locker | Avenger’s Endgame | 8-Mile |
| Quellcrist Falconer | Renée Elise Goldsberry | One Life to Live | Pistol Whipped | Enterprise |
| Governer Danica Harlan | Lela Loren | Power | Snitch | Reign Over Me |
| Trepp | Simone Missick | All Rise | Luke Cage | Jinn |
| Poe | Chris Conner | American Crime Story | The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water | Walk of Shame |
| Dig 301 | Dina Shihabi | Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan | Altered Carbon | Daredevil |
| Ivan Carrera | Torben Liebrecht | Operation Finale | X Company | Duel of the Brothers |
| Tanaseda Hideki | James Saito | Always Be My Maybe | Modern Love | Eli Stone |
Production Status for Season 2
The production of season two was officially announced on the 22nd Februaryury, 2019. This was confirmed by the various twitter accounts of Netflix.
Over one year ago, @AltCarb introduced me to the best AI hotel-turned-therapist-turned-BFF of all time. Since then, I’ve loved my son Poe with all my 🖤
And now I am pleased to announce @ImCConner will return in Season 2.
Wait, what? How did this happen? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/ch2vSeFNgw
— NX (@NXOnNetflix) February 22, 2019
With the release date announced, it’s safe to say that the production will be in the last stages of Post, as Netflix prepares for the release.
Could there be a Season 3 of Altered Carbon?
Without a doubt. There’s still a lot of material in the original novels and given some of the changes the showrunner and writers made for season one, there’s no reason they couldn’t come up with their own stories in this universe too.
What to watch on Netflix in the meantime…
In case you’re looking for something else to watch on Netflix while you’re waiting for Altered Carbon season 2, here are some suggestions. Let’s begin with the Netflix Original library. We’ve already mentioned Stranger Things and Sense8 as standouts in the sci-fi library.
One that’s possibly even closer to Altered Carbon is the British sci-fi series Black Mirror. The anthology series takes different sci-fi concepts and blends them into an often bleak future. Lost in Space is also a good series to watch with your kids that’s set into the far future with effects rivaling Altered Carbon.
Looking at other providers, there’s really no sci-fi series on the type of scale of Altered Carbon. Timeless from NBC is possibly a good alternative as is Terra Nova (still streaming on some Netflix regions).
Are you looking forward to Altered Carbon returning to Netflix? Let us know in the comments below.
