Altered Carbon on Netflix was based on an exciting premise that opened the door for multiple seasons in an anthology format.
The first season was Joel Kinnaman as Takeshi Kovacs, and in the second season, Anthony Mackie took on the role of the same character. This was because the dystopian future of this world allows Takeshi to move into another body to operate.
With two great seasons on Netflix, fans are wondering if there will be more coming in the future.
Here is everything we know so far about Altered Carbon Season 3.
This article provides everything that is known about Altered Carbon Season 3 and all related news. As such, this article will be updated over time with news, rumors, and analysis. Meanwhile, let’s dig down into what is known so far.
- UPDATED on October 11, 2020.
Is there going to be a Season 3 of Altered Carbon?
Netflix has not renewed Altered Carbon yet, but there were expectations that it would.
Altered Carbon showrunner Alison Schapker had high hopes for a third season.
“I have wishes, but we’re waiting on official word from Netflix. We don’t have a pickup. We’re season to season,” Schapker said. “I’m dying for a season three. I have a ton of ideas for directions, but I don’t know how much I can speak to that. But we’re ready to go.”
The Netflix series was based on the novel by Richard K. Morgan, who said he has ideas for up to five seasons.
There was always a chance that the show does not return, as this is an expensive show to make. It ended up as one of the Netflix series to get dropped during the coronavirus pandemic.
Deadline reported in August that Altered Carbon was not coming back for a third season, at least not on the streaming giant.
According to the report, the decision to cancel Altered Carbon was not related to the COVID-19 pandemic but was instead a business decision based on the cost of the series compared to the audience numbers.
This was a different situation than the cancelation of The Society and I Am Not OK With This, which were both canceled with the streaming service pointing out the pandemic struggles.
Netflix also canceled GLOW, after renewing it for another season.
Release date latest: When does Altered Carbon Season 3 come out?
If another network or streaming service picks up Altered Carbon, there will be a long wait for Season 3. This should not be a surprise to fans.
Season 1 hit in February 2018 and had 10 episodes total. Season 2 arrived in February 2020 and had eight total episodes. There was also an animated spin-off movie called Resleeved that hit one month after the second season.
With that said, the best bet is that Season 3 would hit around February 2022, which would give the production plenty of time to work around the coronavirus pandemic.
Altered Carbon Season 3 cast updates
There is no telling who will be cast for Altered Carbon Season 3.
Remember, Season 1 had Joel Kinnaman as Takeshi Kovacs, and Season 2 had Anthony Mackie star as the same character. There were also 30 years in between the two seasons, so the characters were all new.
Expect Season 3 to have an entirely new cast and a new Kovacs.
That is unless Anthony Mackie has his way.
“I hope I get the opportunity to bring Kovacs back again next season,” Mackie said. “I’m definitely not ready [to leave the series]. Working on Altered Carbon was one of my best work experiences ever.”
Altered Carbon Season 3 spoilers
Season 1 of Altered Carbon was mostly a cyberpunk storyline, with Joel Kinnaman starring as Takeshi “Tak” Kovacs as a former member of a rebel group that fell in defeat 250 years before the season started.
In this world, a person’s consciousness was saved in a Stack, inserted into another body when needed. This is mostly for the rich, and one of the wealthiest men in the world (James Purefoy) brings Tak back to investigate and learn who killed his previous body.
Season 2 took a more sci-fi effort (with Anthony Mackie replacing Kinnaman), adding a lot more alien elements and fantastical elements into the story. It also took place 30 years after the events of Season 1.
With such a difference between the two seasons, the third season of Altered Carbon could do anything and probably will be as different as the first two seasons were from each other.
With that said, there is an idea of what could happen in Altered Carbon Season 3.
It looked like Takeshi Kovacs died at the end of Season 2, which would have drastically changed everything about the Netflix fantasy series.
In the finale, Kovacs sacrificed his life to save the woman he had loved for centuries – Quellcrist Falconer (Renée Elise Goldsberry).
Until that moment, Quellcrist Falconer was the carrier of an ancient entity known as an Elder. Kovacs destroyed the Elder, which also killed his body and stack in the process.
It was a massive moment, as Kovacs gave his own life to save the life of the woman he has loved for years.
However, the season ends with Poe (Chris Conner) building a new Stack using the memories of someone, and it is almost certainly Kovacs, meaning he will return once again.
“I wanted to find a way to end season two with that same feeling of, well, he’s not gone,” Schapker said. “So it leaves you with the question: Who is he going to be? It’s the conceit of the series. What sleeve are we going to find Kovacs in next?”
Netflix has yet to announce whether Altered Carbon Season 3 will return.