Richard Morgan's "Altered Carbon" Ordered to Series

ixoy

I know a number of us have read Richard Morgan's "Altered Carbon" (there's even a username inspired by it), so you'll probably be happy to read Netflix have commissioned a 10-episode series on it. They've actually got the rights for the 3 Kovacs novels so there's room for multiple seasons.

From Deadline:

Netflix has picked up Altered Carbon, a futuristic drama series conceived, written and executive produced by LaNetflix Logoeta Kalogridis (Avatar, Shutter Island, Terminator Genesis). The project, which has received a 10-episode order, is based on Richard Morgan’s award-winning 2002 cyberpunk sci-fi novel of the same name. Skydance Television, which produces Netflix comedy Grace and Frankie, is the studio.

This has been a longtime passion project of Kalogridis. She acquired rights to Altered Carbon as well as the other books in Morgan’s “Takeshi Kovacs” series four years ago through Mythology Entertainment, the company she had launched with partners Brad Fischer and James Vanderbilt.

Altered Carbon is set in the 25th century when the human mind has been digitized and the soul itself is transferable from one body to the next. Takeshi Kovacs, a former elite interstellar warrior known as an Envoy who has been imprisoned for 500 years, is downloaded into a future he’d tried to stop. If he can solve a single murder in a world where technology has made death nearly obsolete, he’ll get a chance at a new life on Earth.

Kalogridis had written a screenplay on spec with David H. Goodman, which they’d tried to sell for years. It is now being made as a TV series by Netflix and Skydance, though Goodman is not available to work on the show.

“Altered Carbon is one of the most seminal pieces of post-cyberpunk hard science fiction out there — a dark, complex noir story that challenges our ideas of what it means to be human when all information becomes encodable, including the human mind,” Kalogridis said at the time of the book acquisition.

Kalogridis serves as executive producer/showrunner. Skydance’s David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Marcy Ross executive produce, with Fischer, Vanderbilt, House alums Russel Friend & Garrett Lerner as well as Mike Medavoy and Arnie Messer also getting a producing credit.

Kalogridis is repped by WME. Alan Nevins of Renaissance Literary & Talent repped Orion Publishing Groupin the sale of Altered Carbon rights to Mythology Entertainment and then to Skydance.

Andy-Pandy

Great stuff. Loved those books. Id be delighted if he wrote a few more of them. Its going to be a difficult one to film though will

it have different actors for the different sim bodies?

finooola

Oh wow, this is great news! I absolutely love those books (and his other books for that matter, and even thought the silly Market Forces was alright).

Andy-Pandy wrote: »

Great stuff. Loved those books. Id be delighted if he wrote a few more of them. Its going to be a difficult one to film though will

it have different actors for the different sim bodies?

I've always thought this would present a big problem for viewers, trying to identify with a character whose appearance is constantly changing. It's totally fine in a book, but I think it could be strange in a TV series, if someone starts watching midway through or whatever. It will present a massive challenge to actors too. If any of them get Kovacs wrong the fans will go mad.

I hope the show is as critical of capitalism as the books.

Ping Chow Chi

From what I remember of the books they will have to tone down the sex and violence to get any sort of rating o_0

Johnny Storm

Incredibly, it is out now !!!!!! :pac::pac::pac::pac::pac:
Just watched the first episode.
It's one of my favorite books .... so far I am not sure what i think of it as a TV show. It is certainly not terrible and the first ep features several high tech shoot-outs as we would expect.
If I hadn't read the book (several times) I think I would have no clue what was going on in the TV show so far.
Off to watch more eps now ....
What a time we live in!

Nody

I'd recommend the TV series thread to discuss the TV show as you'll find a wider audience there

Johnny Storm

My verdict on the TV show: very good, but not as good as the book

smacl

Johnny Storm wrote: »

My verdict on the TV show: very good, but not as good as the book

Haven't read the books but just watch episode one. Now dithering whether to try and speed-read the books or just enjoy the series and suffer the spoilers.

Nody

smacl wrote: »

Haven't read the books but just watch episode one. Now dithering whether to try and speed-read the books or just enjoy the series and suffer the spoilers.

You're not going to suffer all relevant spoilers due to the tv series is diverging significantly from episode 5 forward and I think you'll find the book a revelation after finished the series in terms of filling gaps for you.

wyrn

I watched the show and really enjoyed it. I'm intrigued by some of the things they mention but don't explain which I'm guessing is in the books. Are the books worth reading? I really like the concept and I've promised myself no more books until I finish what I have. But I am really tempted because I want to know more and what happens next.

Also Quellcrist Falconer is the greatest name ever. Far better than Max Power.

Nody

wyrn wrote: »

I watched the show and really enjoyed it. I'm intrigued by some of the things they mention but don't explain which I'm guessing is in the books. Are the books worth reading? I really like the concept and I've promised myself no more books until I finish what I have. But I am really tempted because I want to know more and what happens next.

Also Quellcrist Falconer is the greatest name ever. Far better than Max Power.

Book is superior to the tv show; esp. in spelling out the world and the main character's drivers. You also get lots of Quell Falconer quotes and stories not covered in the show which are indeed awesome

Be warned though that that there are significant changes between the book and TV show esp. from episode 5 forward and the book is more graphic and violent compared to the tv show.

I was saying on the tv forum that I just watched this and got the book, can't wait to read it