In the dystopian universe of Netflix series "Altered Carbon," character death is a temporary thing. Casting for the show can therefore be somewhat more flexible than other shows on television. Because of this, actor Joel Kinnaman's return or departure from the show is still in question.
Kinnaman played the character Takeshi Kovacs, a man whose memories (or "stack," as they are called in the show) was transferred to a new body (or "sleeve") at the end of the first season. The body that Kovacs inhabited previously belonged to a dead man named Ryker. As the first season drew to a close, Kovacs decided to essentially vacate Ryker's body and had his own stack transplanted to a new sleeve. It is unknown who this new sleeve is, as he — or she — was only shown as a silhouette.
Fans of the show are now wondering whether or not Kinnaman will return to "Altered Carbon" for its second season, or if he's moving on to other things. If he does come back for season 2, he will likely play Ryker instead of Kovacs. However, events in the real world seem to indicate that the show may be saying goodbye to Kinnaman for good.
Kinnaman signed a one-year deal with Netflix for "Altered Carbon," and he has now been cast in Amazon Studios' upcoming show "Hanna." Even so, Kinnaman will neither confirm nor deny his exit from "Altered Carbon."
"I don't know what's going to happen," Kinnaman toldThe Hollywood Reporter, adding, "No one does, really. Season two hasn't been picked up yet, so who knows?"
Then again, the course of the show's story may not make Kinnaman's return a possibility. The show "Altered Carbon" is based on Richard K. Morgan's novel of the same name. The novel has two more sequels called "Broken Angels" and "Woken Furies", both of which have storylines that differ from that of the first book.
"Broken Angels," the second book of the series, is set decades after the events of the first book. Takeshi Kovacs is still the main character, but most of the characters in the first book aren't featured. Thus, if Netflix follows the progression of the story in the books, the second season of the show may feature mostly new characters and actors.
Even though Kovacs is still in the two sequels, it is unlikely that Kinnaman will be the one playing him. However, sinceseason 2 is still up in the air, anything might still be possible.
