The Killing ended its run on Netflix a couple of years ago, now, but it's clear that the subscription streaming service liked working with some of the show's cast. This week, we learned Netflix has signed on a couple of former stars from The Killing to star in an upcoming new drama series. The book-based TV show called Altered Carbon will star Kristin Lehman and Joel Kinnaman, both alums of The Killing.
News broke this week that Lehman had joined Altered Carbon, a new sci fi series set in the 25th century. The basic premise of the drama follows an interstellar warrior who has apparently been in jail for 500 years. Apparently, he's then tasked with solving a murder, although Deadline says the murder will be trickier than usual, because in the 25th century, murders and even death will almost never occur. Joel Kinnaman is signed on to play the interstellar warrior, Takeshi Kovacs. Kristin Lehman is signed on to play another character named Miriam Bancroft, who only happens to be 250 years of age.
With all of these long-living individuals, the future is sounding pretty sweet. Miriam Bancroft will reportedly be married to a dude who is 500 years-old and who'll be played by The Following's James Purefoy. Having not read the book, it's unclear how Takeshi and Miriam's stories will intertwine, but I do know three books have been produced in the series so far, so Altered Carbon could have some longevity to its story should Netflix want it.
I expect the futuristic premise may turn off some viewers, but this cast should not turn anyone away. Quite the opposite in fact. Beyond the two actors from The Killing, Shutter Island producer Laeta Kalogridis is also writing and executive producing the project, which is also pretty exciting and Game of Thrones director Miguel Sapochnik is directing the first episode, so it's pretty clear that Netflix has high hopes for Altered Carbon. Since Netflix doesn't half-ass pick-ups, the project is already going to series and 10 episodes will be produced for Season 1 of the drama.
Netflix has been putting out all kinds of original programming for more than a year now. Some of these are bigger budget crowd pleasers, but the streaming service has also been championing smaller niche TV projects, too. I'm excited to see how Altered Carbon will pan out and whether or not it will be a winner for Netflix, which is not known for cancelling shows, much less during the first couple of seasons.
While we wait for Altered Carbon to premiere, you can take a look at what is heading to the subscription streaming service in 2017 with our Netflix TV premiere schedule.
