'Altered Carbon' Season 2 Renewal Update: Joel Kinnaman Hints Exit

"Altered Carbon" might move on to the second season without Joel Kinnaman. The actor played the role of Takeshi Kovacs, a time-displaced soldier who can change bodies, which are referred to as "sleeves" on the show.

The entirety of "Altered Carbon" season 1 followed him wearing the sleeve of a police officer named Ryker, who was framed for a crime he did not commit.

The end of the first season of saw Kovacs returning the sleeve to get a new one. This indicated that Ryker might be out of the picture come season 2, whose release date is yet to be announced by Netflix, as Kovacs moves on a new adventure.

It looks like Kinnaman was planned to be in the first season only anyway, as sources that spoke to The Hollywood Reporter claim he only signed a one-year deal with Netflix for the science fiction series.

When asked by the same publication about his chances of returning in "Altered Carbon" season 2, he responded, "I don't think so, no." He posited that the show will likely follow Kovacs in a different body every season to faithfully follow the novels by Richard K. Morgan where the show is based.

The actor explained, "We have no idea what the second season would be, but my guess is that they would follow the two other books, and they are all on completely different planets, completely different worlds, and my guess is — and I don't know — my guess is that it's sort of going to be an anthology show where maybe a couple of the characters continue into the next season. But no one knows what's going on in the second season."

Apart from the fact that the source material calls for it, Kinnaman exiting "Altered Carbon" is also likely as he recently boarded the television adaptation for "Hanna" being developed for Amazon Studios. He snagged the lead role opposite Mireille Enos.

As for those who are just worried about the show's fate, the streaming giant has already secretly renewed "Altered Carbon" for a second season even before it premiered. The production is already set for October.