Since its debut last week, there hasn’t been a TV show or film that’s sparked quite as much conversation as the new feature-length ‘Black Mirror’ episode, ‘Bandersnatch’.
Billed as a “Black Mirror event”, the special is a game-changer in that it allows Netflix users to choose the fate of the protagonist, Stefan, by making increasingly bleak decisions on his behalf that affect what goes on in the show.
However, despite the immediate popularity of ‘Bandersnatch’, ‘Black Mirror’ co-creator Charlie Brooker has said he doesn’t plan on making a habit of including the “choose your own adventure” feature in future episodes.
When asked by the New York Times what his advice would be for producers intending to try a “choose their own adventure” story themselves, he joked: “Run away. It’s harder than you think.”
He added: “We want to keep the show interesting for us.”
Charlie also noted that the upcoming fifth series would feature “more optimistic episodes and stories”, in the vain of ‘San Junipero’, which is among the most celebrated instalments of the anthology show.
‘Bandersnatch’ stars ‘Dunkirk’ actor Fionn Whitehead in the lead role of Stefan, whose life is changed forever when he begins a project for a video gaming company in the early 1980s.
The episode also features Asim Chaudhry of ‘People Just Do Nothing’ fame, and ‘The Revenant’ actor Will Poulter, who recently announced he’s “taking a step back” from Twitter in the wake of the episode’s popularity in what he’s described as a move to protect his mental health.
‘Black Mirror: Bandersnatch’ is now streaming on Netflix.