Netflix 'Altered Carbon' Air Date, Cast News: Whitewashing, Representation Come in Question
While it has not yet debuted on the small screen, Netflix's "Altered Carbon" is already in a tricky situation because of its unique story. It's raising questions about whitewashing and representation, which has become a hot topic in the entertainment industry.
How will the show handle these issues in its story execution for Netflix's upcoming series? How will "Altered Carbon" deal with accusations about whitewashing?
Compared to the book version, explaining the sci-fi story of "Altered Carbon" on television proves challenging. Author Richard K. Morgan wrote the novel from the point of view of the main character, a Japanese man named Takeshi Kovacs.
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Kovacs, however, planted his consciousness into a dead Caucasian policeman's body, Elias Ryker, in "Altered Carbon." Its main plot takes place in a dystopian future where dead people can live on in digitized form and transfer from one human body to the next.
Asian actor Will Yun Lee ("Wolverine") portrays Kovacs in the Netflix show, while Joel Kinnaman ("House of Cards") plays Ryker. As pointed out in The Nerds of Color, book readers of "Altered Carbon" hardly see Ryker's physical form because Kovacs is the one telling the story. The Netflix show, on the other hand, features Ryker a lot more than Kovacs in the trailer, hence raising the question of whitewashing and representation.
Showrunner Laeta Kalogridis, however, digressed that the show has a whitewashing problem. While Kinnaman might be the lead actor on the Netflix show, Lee also has a significant presence and it's hard to judge "Altered Carbon" based on the teaser only.
"They both have very significant parts. They both have, like, huge amounts of action. They both have huge amounts of, like, emotional exposition," the showrunner stated. "We even take one of those Asian bodies and make [Kovacs] fight that body."
Kinnaman also signed on for one season only. If Netflix renews "Altered Carbon" after that, Kovacs could turn up in a new body, hence there will be another lead star.
"Altered Carbon" begins its run on Netflix on Friday, Feb. 2, at 3:00 a.m. EST.
