The world of Altered Carbon is expanding.
Last month, after a two year hiatus, the hard sci-fi thriller series returned to Netflix with a new lead (Anthony Mackie) and a new look on life. The plot was a little less dense (but with plenty of in-world terms and history to understand) and the writers pushed the original, futuristic premise — that citizens of the galaxy could transport their consciousnesses into new bodies after death through “sleeve” tech — to new heights. By moving the action to a new planet, Harlan’s World, the show escaped the confines of serialized TV to become something akin to an anthology series, albeit with essential, recurring elements.
Hot on the heels of season 2’s February debut, Netflix is ready to launch a spin-off Altered Carbon movie in just two weeks. Altered Carbon: Resleeved a feature anime film from Dai Satō (Cowboy Bebop, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex) transports the action to the planet Latimer, where “Takeshi Kovacs must protect a tattoo artist while investigating the death of a yakuza boss alongside a no-nonsense CTAC,” according to a Netflix summary. It’s unclear if the film is a sequel or prequel, but based on the end of season 2, we’d guess the latter.
The first trailer for Resleeved fuses the Blade Runner-esque aesthetic of the live-action series with familiar Japanese cyberpunk. The 3D-as-2D animation adds to the otherworldly quality — and the amount of blood that hits the floor. True to the original show, Resleeved looks like it’s taking full advantage of an uptick in swords and machine guns.
Altered Carbon: Resleeved premieres on Netflix on March 19.