New Altered Carbon S2 teaser introduces Anthony Mackie as Takeshi Kovacs

Usually when TV series switch out the actors playing lead characters, it’s because of some scheduling conflicts or personal issues. With Altered Carbon, it’s all part of the narrative.

In the world of Netflix’s futuristic sci-fi series, thanks to implants called “cortical stacks”, those with the means can download their consciousness from one body – known as “sleeves” – to the next. And this is why the upcoming second season of the hit show based on Richard K. Morgan’s cyberpunk novels will see season 1’s Joel Kinnaman stepping aside in the role of Takeshi Kovacs to be replaced by Anthony Mackie.

Up until now, all we’ve seen about the new season was a surprise release date announcement for later this month. But now Netflix has released the first teaser trailer, which – while showing off snatches of action-packed footage – is primarily about introducing you to the brand new face of our hero. Check it out below.

As Nick so helpfully pointed out to me recently, season two of Altered Carbon will be skipping over Broken Angels, Morgan’s second book in the series, and instead adapt the trilogy’s final chapter, Woken Furies. Seeing as how Broken Angels deals with an interplanetary war that would probably require a bigger budget than Netlflix can throw at this already expensive show, that is probably a wiser choice. The first season had already brought forward several narrative elements from Woken Furies, most notably the key character of Quellcrist Falconer, so it makes sense to jump straight back into that story.

And the story this time, as the brief synopsis released by Netflix alongside a trio of new images informs us, will see Mackie’s Kovacs “on a quest to find someone he thought long dead: creator of stack technology, leader of the Uprising, and his former love, Quellcrist Falconer.”

It’s not just the face of Takeshi Kovacs that will be changing for Altered Carbon season two though, as initial showrunner Laeta Kalogridis (Avatar) is being replaced by Alison Schapker (Alias, Fringe, Lost). Kalogridis will still be around as exec producer though. Besides for Chris Conner returning as the AI Poe and Renee Elise Goldsberry as Quellcrist, season two will also see the cast expand to introduce Lela Loren (Power) as Danica Harlan, governor of Harlan’s World; Simone Missick (All Rise) as Trepp, a bounty hunter; James Saito (The Terror) as Tanaseda Hideki, a centuries-old organized crime boss with a ton of influence on Harlan’s World; and Dina Shihabi (Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan) as DIG 301, an artificial intelligence designed to assist archaeologists.

Altered Carbon season 2 will premiere on Netflix on Thursday 27 February 2020.

Last Updated: February 5, 2020