The first season of Altered Carbon was aired in February 2018 and, after a few months, Netflix has announced that the show was renewed for another season. However, the premiere date for Altered Carbon Season 2 is too far out than fans have anticipated.
The sophomore season of the Netflix sci-fi series is not expected to hit the small screen until 2020. Why the long wait?
Netflix renewed Altered Carbon in July 2018, but filming started very late. The filming for the new season kicked off earlier this year in Vancouver. The filming reportedly wrapped up in June. With this schedule, it is not surprising that Altered Carbon Season 2 will not premiere this year.
The long gap between the renewal announcement and filming could have something to do with the high production value of the series. It is worthy to note that the first installment of the show is two years in the making. Netflix ordered the series in January 2016, but it was released in February 2018.
One of the major factors why it took time for Netflix to film a 10-episode series is because of its intricate production, not to mention the budget. The Joel Kinnaman-led show is one of the most expensive Netflix production to date. Although Netflix did not disclose the production costs of Altered Carbon, Kinnaman earlier revealed that it was bigger than the first three seasons of Game of Thrones.
In addition, the futuristic costumes also speak for how much the network spent in production. According to Altered Carbon costume designer Ann Foley, their production crew fitted about 2,000 costumes and they have at least 500 custom made pieces for the show.
That being said, the 2020 premiere of Altered Carbon Season 2 is not surprising at all. Season 2 is expected to have a huge budget as well considering that it has cast of the Avengers stars, Anthony Mackie.
Lead character Takeshi Kovacs will return in Altered Carbon Season 2, but not Kinnaman. He will be replaced by Mackie as the new Kovacs. Featuring a new Takeshi Kovacs is not a problem at all because that is what the series is all about.
Altered Carbon is based on a concept that a person can live forever after death by simply planting his or her brain in another body that they call the "sleeve." In Season 1, Kovacs's sleeve is dead, so his consciousness has been transferred to a new sleeve. This means the new Kovacs can resume his life with a new face but with the same mind.
The Netflix original series is based on Richard Morgan's 2002 novel of the same title. It was adapted by Avatar executive producer Laeta Kalogridis for television.
It is set in the year 2384, about 360 years ahead in the future. It explores the scenarios of what could happen when the human mind becomes digitized, and consciousness is transferable from one body to another.
Altered Carbon Season 2 will have eight episodes and will have new cast members. Aside from Mackie, also joining the series are Simone Missick, Dina Shihabi, Torben Liebrecht, and James Saito as the new Trepp, Dig 301, Colonel Ivan Carrera, and Tanaseda Hideki, respectively.
