Streamers rejoice because your new obsession has arrived in the form of a hardboiled cyberpunk sci-fi novel adaptation called, ‘Altered Carbon’.
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Think of it as a mashup of Blade Runner, Westworld and The Matrix, among others, but still incredibly original.
This series is based on the 2002 book by Richard K. Morgan and takes place 300 years in the future, one where human consciousness can be stored in ‘sacks’, rather digital implants, and allow the wealthy to continually upgrade their bodies, or ‘sleeves’, and live forever.
Takeshi Kovacs is an elite soldier for hire and traditionally a revolutionary. He is imprisoned and his conscious is stored. Centuries later, he is awoken in a different body. He is essentially brought back by Laurens Bancroft, who offers him a pardon for his crimes. In return, Kovacs must solve a murder case, that of Bancroft’s own death, by the hands of a previous sleeve.
Quell trained Kovacs. She is the leader of the ‘Envoys’, a group of interstellar warriors that hone skills in combat, survival and that of intuition. His awakening stirs controversy as Detective Kristin Ortega has now started to follow suit. There are also quite a few other storylines that follow and intersect with all the characters. Society is ultimately on both ends of the spectrum on the controversial choice of transferring one’s conscience to another body. Thus, the future is riddled with constant riots and protests.
The project is a longtime coming for screenwriter and creator Laeta Kalogridis, who refers to this show as her passion project. She optioned the rights almost 15 years ago and has long been trying to bring it to life. The original plan was to make it a feature film, but as a ‘tough sell’, but Netflix stepped up.
“We tried to imagine what a potential globalized future on Earth would look like, with a certain amount of technological change, familiarity and a large degree of human familiarity,” Said Kalogridis.
Set to star in this project are Joel Kinnaman, James Purefoy, Martha Higareda, Renee Elise Goldsberry and Dichen Lachman. The first season will consist of 10 episodes and is set to premiere on Netflix on Feb. 2, 2018.
