Altered Carbon may be on our screens now, but it previously spent over a decade in development as a film and then a TV series.
So long, in fact, that author Richard Morgan had enough time to write two sequels and formulate his own dream cast.
The series debuted on Netflix last month and stars Joel Kinnaman as a former member of a military elite who wakes up in a different man's body and is tasked with investigating the apparent suicide of one of Earth's richest men.
It also stars Martha Higareda and James Purefoy among others, but who did Morgan initially want to play the roles?
Well, in a 2016 blog post, Morgan revealed which actors/actresses he wanted to see bring his fictional creations to life on screen, and among them is Sandra Bullock. Yes, really.
Here's Morgan's dream cast in full:
What to Read Next
Role: Takeshi Kovacs Sleeve
Played by: Joel Kinnaman
Dream casting: Vincent Cassel/Benicio del Toro
Morgan said: "That whole style of big blunt leading men seems to have faded and gone. I think Vincent Cassel could carry it, or maybe Benicio del Toro, but after that I'm struggling."
Role: Kristin Ortega
Played by: Martha Higareda
Dream casting: Michelle Rodriquez/Eva Mendes
Morgan said: "The obvious port of call is Michelle Rodriguez, who has that hard-boiled Latina thing totally down, or maybe Eva Mendes – her hard-boiled credentials are a bit less evident, but she's an awesome actor so it'd be cool to watch her try on Ortega's hard-bitten cool."
Role: Miriam Bancroft
Played by: Kristin Lehman
Dream casting: Sharon Stone/Anne Bancroft
Morgan said: "Miriam Bancroft, I've never had any particular likes for, but she'd certainly be an interesting cast, because what you've got there is basically a Baywatch babe's body channelling the spirit of Anne Bancroft in The Graduate, or maybe just Sharon Stone circa Basic Instinct."
Role: Laurens Bancroft
Played by: James Purefoy
Dream casting: Gabriel Byrne
Morgan said: "Gabriel Byrne would probably make a pretty cool Laurens Bancroft."
Role: Reileen Kawahara
Played by: Dichen Lachman
Dream casting: Sandra Bullock/Madeleine Stowe
Morgan said: "I think they're both super-talented actors who've been given very limited opportunity to broaden their range; it'd be great to see either one of them playing against type as a bad guy."
Altered Carbon season one is available to stream on Netflix now.
Want up-to-the-minute entertainment news and features? Just hit 'Like' on our Digital Spy Facebook page and 'Follow' on our @digitalspy Twitter account and you're all set.

















