Netflix will be producing a 10-episode original series in the realm of steampunk and sci-fi, based on Richard Morgan’s 2002 novel Altered Carbon.
Set 500 years in the future, humankind has discovered a loophole for death by figuring out how to store consciousness and memory and transfer the soul between bodies at the time of death, known as “resleeving.” The story follows an ex-U.N. envoy named Takeshi Kovacs, hand-picked by a resleeved wealthy man to reveal the truth behind his death. While the victim is convinced he was murdered, the police believe he committed suicide. Since he has no memories of his last 48 hours backed up to storage, he employs Kovacs to find out for him.
Carrying out the project is writer and producer Laeta Kalogridis, who also served as executive producer for Avatar, Shutter Island, and most recently, Terminator Genisys. Kalogridis acquired the rights to the book approximately four years ago. At the time, she called it “one of the most seminal pieces of post-cyberpunk hard science fiction out there” that challenges our concept of being human in the face of digitization, as reported by Deadline.
The show will be produced through Skydance Studios and distributed through Netflix.
News of the series has been received well on Twitter, with many fans emerging to express their excitement. The cast has yet to be determined, but actor James Leary, who played a minor role as a demon in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, is already hopeful.
https://twitter.com/TheJamesLeary/status/689910346245472256
There is no set release date for the show yet.
Illustration via Max Fleishman
