'Altered Carbon' Season 2 Air Date, Spoilers: Why Anthony Mackie Replaces Joel Kinnaman for Takeshi Kovacs Role

“Altered Carbon” season 2 will have a new leading actor. Instead of Joel Kinnaman, Anthony Mackie will take on the role of Takeshi Kovacs in the renewed series on Netflix.

To fans who have seen the first season, this could be quite confusing, especially they have not had the chance to read the book where the show is based. But considering the premise of the entire show, having a new actor to play Kovacs in “Altered Carbon” season 2 is entirely shocking.

When Netflix ordered “Altered Carbon” season 2 in July 2018, it was also announced that the “Captain America: Civil War” star will take on the role of the former elite soldier. This implies that Kinnaman will no longer have the main role.

“Altered Carbon” season 2 is set in more than 300 years to the future. At this point, technology has become so advanced that preserving a person’s memories and consciousness is possible. It is done by transforming them into a liquid state and stored in a device called cortical stack. This can then be implanted to another body (called sleeves) especially if the actual owner dies.

By the end of the first season, Kovacs was able to put the missing puzzles to his memories through Reileen’s (Dichen Lachman) help. Kovacs, ultimately, decided he will return the sleeve. But it was also established that Kovacs learned that Quellcrist Falconer's (Renée Elise Goldsberry) consciousness has been preserved and finding her might be a huge part of “Altered Carbon” season 2.

The filming of “Altered Carbon” season 2 has just started earlier this month and it is expected to end in June. Netflix only ordered eight episodes, instead of 10, and that could explain why the production would take less time.

The release date of “Altered Carbon” season 2 might not be announced a few months after filming wraps up. But the show's premiere could happen between the final months of 2019 and early 2020.