Blumhouse’s Upgrade Deserves an Altered Carbon-Style Series on Netflix

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As a sci-fi fan, I’ve gotta say, Netflix has really delivered some amazing original shows over the years. We’ve got the big hits like Stranger Things and Black Mirror, but also some seriously mind-bending stuff like Dark and 3 Body Problem. They just keep pumping out quality exclusives, and one I really enjoyed was Altered Carbon. It’s based on a book from 2002, and the premise is fantastic: humans can basically live forever by transferring their minds into new bodies. It worked brilliantly on screen, because they actually cast different actors to play the same character! Joel Kinnaman was the lead in the first season, and then Anthony Mackie took over the role for season two – it was a really cool way to visualize the concept.

Despite receiving generally positive reviews and finding an audience on Rotten Tomatoes, the Netflix series Altered Carbon was unexpectedly canceled after just two seasons – a fate shared by many popular shows on the platform. Interestingly, the same year Altered Carbon debuted, Blumhouse released Upgrade, a film directed by Leigh Whannell that has a very similar feel. This surprisingly violent and gritty cyberpunk movie makes a great companion piece to Altered Carbon, and it would be fantastic to see the world of Upgrade explored further in a spin-off series.

Upgrade Feels Like it Could be an Altered Carbon Spinoff

In the movie Upgrade, Logan Marshall-Green plays Grey Trace, a mechanic whose wife is killed during a carjacking. Grey is left paralyzed, but receives an experimental implant called STEM from the man who owned the car, offering him a chance at recovery and revenge.

As a film buff, I’m immediately hooked by this setup! It centers around a guy named Grey who gets this incredible microchip implanted – it basically gives him superhuman control over his body, boosting his movement and reactions to levels he’s never experienced. But it’s not just about cool tech; his wife has been murdered, and while the police investigate, Grey decides to take matters into his own hands and track down the people who did it. It’s a classic revenge thriller with a sci-fi twist, and I’m already imagining the action sequences!

Despite having very different styles—one a dark, dystopian mystery and the other a cyberpunk action film—both stories feel like they could take place in the same world. This is because they both explore how people change their bodies and minds using implanted microchips. It wouldn’t be surprising if the world of Altered Carbon expanded to include body modifications that enhance weapons or fighting skills, rather than just focusing on transferring minds between bodies.

Beyond the intense action and violent moments, both the series and the film feature a robotic side character with a humorous edge. In Upgrade, STEM acts as a voice inside the main character’s head, assisting him with controlling his body and solving the mystery. Similarly, in Altered Carbon, Poe is the AI who runs The Raven Hotel. Both characters are known for their witty, sarcastic remarks, but are also fiercely protective of the people they assist.

The film has been well-received, earning an 88% approval rating from both critics and general audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite a small $5 million budget, it performed well in theaters, grossing $16 million. It also received recognition in the form of a Saturn Award nomination for Best Sci-Fi Film and won the Audience Award at the SXSW Film Festival.

Upgrade Is Deserving of Being the Next Big Sci-Fi Series

As Stranger Things wraps up, Netflix faces a potential drop in viewership, especially in the science fiction genre. A spin-off series based on Leigh Whannell’s movie could be a great way to attract both viewers looking for a new show and those who felt the original film didn’t fully explore its potential.

The film Upgrade concluded with possibilities for a sequel, allowing the story to either continue directly from where it left off or explore a completely new direction. In 2020, two years after the movie came out, plans emerged for a television series developed by Blumhouse Television and NBCUniversal. This series, intended to be set a few years after the film’s ending, would have focused on the government utilizing STEM technology to combat crime.

I’m really excited about this! The plan is for Leigh Whannell to direct, and thankfully, the team behind that fantastic, but sadly overlooked, show will be handling the writing. It’s a great combination, and I have high hopes!

Earlier this year, Netflix announced that the potential series based on Upgrade was no longer being developed, effectively ending any plans to expand on the movie. It’s a shame to see a promising series, similar to Altered Carbon, stalled indefinitely without any progress towards production.

For now, viewers who enjoy the show’s dark and suspenseful style will have to re-watch it on Netflix or explore similar series like Pluribus, Severance, Silo, and Dark Matter.

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2025-12-31 07:38