Season 2 Cast Announced for Altered Carbon

While Altered Carbon still has no official release date, Netflix has released a teaser video to announce the main season 2 cast. As previously announced, Anthony Mackie replaces Joel Kinnaman as the main character, mercenary for hire Takeshi Kovacs. As expected, most of the season 1 cast is missing from the list, but 2 fan favorites are returning. And Simone Missick, a fan favorite from the now defunct Netflix Marvel universe, joins the cast.

Here is the teaser video, with Netflix’s character descriptions and my comments to follow.

Character descriptions from the Netflix press release. Click on images to enlarge:

ANTHONY MACKIE is TAKESHI KOVACS

A former Protectorate CTAC soldier who became a revolutionary Envoy, and then a mercenary for hire, Kovacs swears allegiance to no man or woman except one: Quellcrist Falconer. His undying quest to reconnect with her spans multiple centuries, planets and sleeves.

RENÉE ELISE GOLDSBERRY as QUELLCRIST FALCONER

A fierce revolutionary leader with a deep bond to Takeshi Kovacs, Quell is driven by her desire to reset the balance between life and death.

CHRIS CONNER as POE

A centuries-old, highly evolved A.I. and loyal companion to Takeshi Kovacs, Poe strives to understand what it means to be human.

 

SIMONE MISSICK is TREPP

An expert bounty hunter, Trepp is known for her ability to track down anyone in the Settled Worlds, for the right price.

DINA SHIHABI is DIG 301

An out-of-work A.I. programmed to assist human archeologists, Dig finds a new purpose when she meets Poe.

 

 

TORBEN LIEBRECHT as COLONEL IVAN CARRERA

The dogged leader of a Protectorate Special Forces unit known as the “Wedge,” Colonel Carrera is on the hunt for Takeshi Kovacs.

 

JAMES SAITO is TANASEDA HIDEKI

A centuries-old Yakuza boss, Tanaseda controls organized crime on the planet of Harlan’s World and shares a history with Takeshi Kovacs.

 

Commentary:

Poe Lives!! That’s the most important thing on this list. He’s also struggling to understand what it means to be human, which suggests he’s trying to be more human. Is he in a synth sleeve and living a human-like existence, with full mobility and wireless capability? Whatever his form, it’ll be good to see a familiar face. It would be good for Tak, as well, to have a loyal companion who keeps up with the details of life whether Tak is on ice, a distant planet, or a pleasure island pursuing a case. Someone has to manage Rei’s empire, after all.

Some of the new characters are from the books, but this show has a history of changing characters and their stories, so events in the novels don’t necessarily predict anything. Carrera is hunting for Kovacs, so the Protectorate is aware that he’s out of prison, and Jaeger is likely still looking for revenge.

That probably won’t stop until either Jaeger or Tak are dead, or the Protectorate ceases to exist. Quell’s endgame, after all, is decentralization of wealth, power and government, and limited lifespans to stop individuals from amassing empires over multiple lifespans. Her ultimate goal is mentioned in her description, which suggests that Tak hasn’t forgotten what she and his found family died for. Thanks to Rei, he has the ability to fund a revolution, if he chooses to. What will he and the Quell in is head decide to do with Rei’s fortune?

Tak is searching for Quell’s backup, which takes him to his and Rei’s home planet, Harlan’s World, where Quell died. Dig 301 and Hideki are likely to come into the story as Tak retraces Rei and Quell’s steps. Tak’s parents may have also had connections with the Yakuza, in addition to Rei’s history with them. Dig 301 might have worked on archaeological digs at Stronghold and other Envoy sites, and could have information that would help Tak’s search. She might also be a love interest for Poe.

Trepp is probably hoping to capture Tak and collect the bounty offered by one of his enemies. But Tak might be offering a bounty for specific kinds of help with finding Quell’s backup, or a specific person he needs to question. Either way, my guess is that she becomes part of this season’s loyal band of local expendables, and probably Tak’s S2 short-term love interest. I loved Simone Missick as Misty Knight in the Marvel universe, so I’m excited to see what she’ll do here.

There are likely to be more cast additions announced as the release date draws closer. It’s hard to imagine that Tak won’t have flashbacks that include Rei (Dichen Lachman) and/or Jaeger (Daniel Bernhardt) while he’s on Harlan’s World. Plus, we haven’t heard anything about the actors who play the two sleeves we know Tak’s previously used on his home planet, Byron Mann and Will Yun Lee. Maybe we’ll also get more of the story from the opening scene of season 1, and find out what led Tak and Sarah (Olga Fonda) to a Harlan’s World hotel room with a pile of stacks, where Jaeger captured him.

Based on the classic science fiction novels by Richard K. Morgan, ALTERED CARBON is from Skydance Television. Alison Schapker, Laeta Kalogridis and James Middleton serve as executive producers for the series, alongside David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Marcy Ross for Skydance.

Season 1‘s 10 episodes are available on Netflix now. Season 2 will have 8 episodes and is currently in production, with filming expected to run through June. Season 2 will likely drop in late 2019 or early 2020.

Sources: Netflix Press Release

Deadline Exclusive

 

Images courtesy of Netflix.