Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 producer has addressed Roman Carax’s backstory and why his past will remain a secret, as people continue to debate Talia Yang’s age and her relationship with the 12-year-old. Roman Carax is a young boy who loves old films and carries a traditional camcorder around Night City to record what happens around him. But unlike the other main characters, his family background is barely explored in the Netflix anime. Now, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 producer Bartosz Sztybor has explained why the team decided to keep Roman’s past a mystery. Why Roman’s backstory will stay secret Credit: Netflix Speaking to IGN, Sztybor revealed that Roman’s father originally had a bigger role in the story. However, the team eventually decided that giving viewers more information about their relationship would take away from Roman’s character. “He has things to do! He’s a barber and he trusts his boy,” Sztybor said about Roman’s father. He continued, “That was an artistic choice, not to explain too much. Roman is this glimpse of innocence in this weird, violent city, and walking happiness and trust and all that.” Sztybor also explained, “In our first draft of scripts, his dad had more dialogue with Roman, but we saw that it gave too much backstory to him. Then you start interpreting things, ‘Why is he this way?’” He added, “I think it should be something for the audience that they just feel, ‘Okay, he’s that guy.’ You can, of course, start thinking and start creating his story and background, which is fine. “I would say that telling too much about himself, his past, his family would destroy the feelings of who he is. This is the promise that I’m making, never in the Cyberpunk franchise will we show his backstory. It will be kept secret.” Why Roman is the character connecting everyone in Edgerunners 2 Roman’s love of cinema is also a big part of why he became one of the main characters. Sztybor explained, “The first pitch for Studio Trigger was, ‘I want to do an homage to the pop culture of the ’90s. I want a pulp fiction kind of story with several characters that, at one point, connect.’ He added, “Working with Kai Igarashi [director], we discovered we are both cinephiles and we love cinema. We needed something, someone that connected all the characters, and if we were already doing an homage to pop culture of the ’80s and the ’90s, not just at the story level, but the visual level, then a cinephile kid would be a perfect choice. “We thought this one innocent guy who loves retro, who is this glimpse of hope, and suddenly he’s the connection between all those flawed characters, would be an amazing choice.” People are still questioning Talia’s age after Roman is revealed to be 12 Credit: Netflix While Roman’s backstory is staying a mystery, people are still wondering how old Talia is supposed to be. Talia was raised in Night City’s privileged corporate world before becoming involved with the Maelstrom gang. She is heavily augmented with cyberware, and she develops a close friendship with Roman during the season. But some scenes between them have romantic undertones, which have left viewers uncomfortable after learning that Roman is only 12. Talia’s exact age has not been confirmed. She describes herself as a teenager, but viewers have disagreed over how old she might be and whether the way her character is shown fits that description. Some have questioned the sexualised elements of her character design if she is under 18. Others have argued that if she is older, the romantic undertones involving Roman are concerning. For now, Roman’s family history is set to remain a mystery, while Talia’s exact age remains unconfirmed. For all the latest film and TV updates and hot takes, like our Facebook page. Post navigation Next story
