Altered Carbon (2018-20). Credit: Netflix

Richard K. Morgan, the genius behind the acclaimed 2002 novel of the same name on which the series was ordered, revealed which talents of Hollywood fame, in his mind, would best fit in some of the most prominent roles of the premise.

Only now can one understand that the actors/actresses the writer wished to see bring the characters to life weren’t the ones that actually ended up on the screen, but it’s a pleasant reminder of what could’ve been.

Altered Carbon Author Envisioned Sandra Bullock And Sharon Stone In The Netflix Show

Altered Carbon premiered in 2018 on Netflix. The rights to the novel on which it was based were initially optioned by producer Joel Silver and Warner Bros. on publication (via Den of Geek) many years ago with the intent to have a movie made.

For a while, the project was in development limbo. The studio’s option soon expired. Nevertheless, several developments occurred behind the scenes for its actualization, with the show’s eventual creator, Laeta Kalogridis, at the helm of seeing the passion project take shape.

It was only in 2016 that the streaming giant ordered the series.

Sandra Bullock and Sharon Stone were a part of the dream cast for Altered Carbon (2018-20)

When the news broke, Richard K. Morgan, the writer of the source material, took to his blog to discuss the details surrounding the initiative. He published a comprehensive FAQ, which he deemed would address the doubts and queries of his followers. Who would be in Morgan’s ideal cast to headline the sci-fi series was one of the questions explored here.

Among many names of equal talent, two prominent Hollywood actresses were particularly note-worthy. As you may have guessed, the author mentioned Sandra Bullock and Sharon Stone as part of his dream ensemble. The post (via Richard K. Morgan) delved into the roles in Altered Carbon that he best saw fit to be embodied by the stars.

For Reileen Kawahara’s character, the sister of the protagonist Takeshi Kovacs, Morgan imagined Sandra Bullock as one of the potential candidates, alongside Revenge alum Madeleine Stowe.

Miriam Bancroft (played by Kristin Lehman) and Reileen Kawahara (played by Dichen Lachman)

Following was his statement:

“Reileen Kawahara … has always been the easiest one—ever since I got the film deal back in 2002 and started thinking seriously about it, I wanted to cast either Madeleine Stowe or Sandra Bullock—I think they’re both super-talented actors who’ve been given … limited opportunity to broaden their range.”

As for the role associated with Sharon Stone, Richard K. Morgan mentioned the character of Miriam Bancroft, Laurens Bancroft’s wife in Altered Carbon. He envisaged her to embody the spirit Stone exuded circa Basic Instinct. He also likened the part to Anne Bancroft in The Graduate.

As we know, these actresses were not part of the ensemble that ultimately served as the focus of the Netflix series. Kristin Lehman played Miriam Bancroft, while Dichen Lachman played Reileen Kawahara. Although, with how relatively well-versed Sandra Bullock is in the sci-fi genre, one could only wonder what her playing a role in the series would’ve looked like.

Netflix’s Now-Canceled Altered Carbon Was Initially Meant To Be A Movie

As previously stated, the intent to option the rights of Richard K. Morgan’s 2002 novel Altered Carbon was to turn the material into a motion picture. According to Den of Geek, Warner Bros. expressed interest in having the film made but wanted it to be a PG-13 endeavor. THR reported that the studio’s option ultimately ran out, and screenwriter and producer Laeta Kalogridis soon came into the scene.

Known for penning the screenplay for Shutter Island, she would begin to shape Altered Carbon with her efforts. Still, there were many bumps in the road that Kalogridis had yet to encounter. After the studio’s rights to the material expired, Kalogridis reportedly called author Richard K. Morgan to pitch him a “hard R-rated” version, much faithful to the source.

Studios weren’t too eager to fund a non-franchise, non-branded science fiction film with mature aspects, so Kalogridis found it challenging to find a home for the passion project right away. “She’d [Laeta Kalogridis] created a screenplay everybody loved, but no one could find the money for,” Morgan additionally highlighted in his blog post.

Altered Carbon (2018-20). Credit: Netflix

Another difficulty was compressing the complex novel’s elaborate narrative into a two-hour running-length feature film. That’d be doing the material a disservice. Kalogridis affirmed the sentiment to Den of Geek:

“It’s just very challenging to get all the ideas of that book into a two-hour film and do it justice. So, we thought, ‘Let’s go to Netflix and see what they say.’ And that’s how we ended up here.”

Therefore, with Netflix, the groundwork for the 2002 novel could be better established, and the details could be further expounded upon rather than being jammed into a constrained picture that limits the storytelling potential to just two hours. While it did seem that with the streaming giant, the series found its paradise, fans of the cyberpunk show would soon be met with the news of its cancelation after only two seasons.

The platform’s decision not to proceed with further seasons in 2020 was not COVID-related. The streamer’s viewership vs. cost renewal review procedure was the cause of it (via Deadline). Therefore, despite favorable reviews, Altered Carbon couldn’t be sustained further in its abode.

It’s hard to say if the result would have been different even if star-powered draws of Hollywood Sandra Bullock or Sharon Stone had graced the initiative.