Altered Carbon hits Netflix today and if you've already started watching (that was fast!), or you know the story from the books, then you know that there's a possibility Joel Kinnaman won't be returning for a second season.
What am I talking about you say?! Don't worry, it's not a spoiler, but when you live in a world where changing bodies is almost as easy as changing your clothes, you can't expect your character to live in the same, old boring skin forever. Switching Sleeves is part of every day life for these people so why wouldn't its main character, Takeshi Kovacs, take advantage of this?
I asked Kinnaman and the rest of the Altered Carbon cast if they thought it would be possible for their characters to be played by completely different actors in future seasons, and whether audiences would struggle with the switch? You can watch the video above for their full answers, but Kinnaman made a good point straight off the bat, which is that they do it all the time on Doctor Who: "It would be something similar to that. I think it's very cool."
And Altered Carbon arguably has a better story reason for switching actors too. Kovacs could be the James Bond of the sci-fi world with seasons spanning years and different actors, or Sleeves, being used to play the badass Envoy forever. "They [the producers] don't need us." James Purefoy jokes. "We actually have to behave," agrees Renée Elise Goldsberry. Of course, there's always the possibility that the original actors can stay in the show playing completely different characters as well... now that would be confusing!
Here's our spoiler-free preview of Altered Carbon if you're looking for something to whet your appetite before you watch the show, and if you want to know what the critics are saying about the Netflix Original, just check out our critical round-up.
