Altered Carbon recruits Anthony Mackie for Season 2

Just six months after Altered Carbon’s first season Netflix announced that the hit sci-fi show will be getting a second season. Joining the cast as the lead character, Takeshi Kovacs, is Marvel-star Anthony Mackie in his first television role.

Altered Carbon is based on a series of cyberpunk novels by Richard K. Morgan, which take place in the distant future where transferring human consciousness between bodies is common among society’s elite. The book series follows Kovacs over different time periods, different planets, and different bodies, so it’s not unexpected that the next season of the show has a new actor taking up the mantle. Previously, Joel Kinnaman held the role of Kovacs.

There is no news on which cast members from the first season will be returning — or which characters, like Kovacs, will be recast. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, showrunner Laeta Kalogridis hinted that characters who died in the first season may have a chance at coming back.

The first season premiered on Feb. 2 and tackled the issues of mortality, identity and the human soul. It was 10 episodes long and received mixed reviews from critics, but many appreciated its cyberpunk setting and ambitious storytelling.

The second season of Altered Carbon will be eight episodes long. There is no release date yet.