Netflix has a new trailer out for its upcoming original series Altered Carbon, and our latest look at the series is absolutely loaded with sci-fi goodness. This new trailer for the series puts a little less emphasis on the show's WTF factor, and instead gives viewers a glimpse at the stunningly beautiful high-tech future first created by Richard K. Morgan in his novel:
Based on that trailer, the world of Altered Carbon looks very similar to the world of Blade Runner: 2049. Most sci-fi fans won't take issue with that comparison, as it appears Netflix spared no expense in bringing this novel to life. If the story for this series is as good as this trailer looks, Netflix could have another hit series on its hands.
Altered Carbon's story does sound interesting, as viewers are thrust into the future alongside Takeshi Kovacs (Suicide Squad's Joel Kinnaman) who, prior to now, has been dead for 250 years. Kovacs owes his resurrection to Laurens Bancroft, an insanely wealthy man who wishes to find out who murdered him in his previous body. In a world where people can just hop from body to body, a murder seems rather inconsequential, so surely Bancroft's reasons for wanting to find his murderer will be further fleshed out in the actual series.
Altered Carbon appears to be heavy on the action, as Joel Kinnaman and others are seen shooting and slashing their way through anyone who tries to stop them. There are also scenes in this trailer in which people are seen throwing massive punches capable of blasting down walls, which would appear to indicate body-swapping isn't the only body modification that's been developed in the past two and a half centuries. One thing that hasn't seemed to change is the music, as Nine Inch Nails' "The Beginning of the End," plays over the top of gun battles and highly stylized fist fights. As the song, violence, and exposed butt cheeks in the strip club might have indicated to potential viewers already, Altered Carbon is not a series striving for a PG rating.
For those already bouncing up and down out of excitement and hoping for a Season 2 renewal of Altered Carbon ahead of its release, that could happen. While Netflix hasn't clued anyone in that they may be doing so, Altered Carbon is the first of a trilogy of books that center around the character Takeshi Kovacs. That's usually a positive sign that Netflix is looking on running a series for a while, provided it's well received. And even in the case it isn't, bad reviews don't always stop the streaming service from granting renewals.
Altered Carbon premieres on Netflix Friday, February 2 at 12:01 PT. For a look at a slew of other new shows coming to television or streaming over the next couple of months, be sure to head over to our midseason premiere guide. Those wishing for a breakdown of what's coming to streaming that they don't have to read should check out The Cord Cutter Podcast and hear our picks for what's interesting in 2018.
