Bandersnatch was so complex that season five of Black Mirror has been delayed

By Sam Barsanti | December 30, 2018 | 7:19pm

Aux Features Film

We never would’ve guessed this, but it turns out that developing an interactive movie with tons of branching paths and alternate endings is kind of difficult. Perhaps that’s why most movies only have the one narrative and end the same way no matter how many times you watch it? Either way, Netflix and Charlie Brooker decided to put together a wildly ambitious Christmas present for Black Mirror fans with Bandersnatch, a choose-your-own adventure-style movie that hit the streaming service a few days ago. The movie has so many different variations based on what choices you make that Brooker (the creator of Black Mirror) says he has “forgotten” how many different endings there are, going so far as to reject producer Annabel Jones’ claim in a Hollywood Reporter interview that there are five “definitive” conclusions.

That Hollywood Reporter piece goes deep into how Bandersnatch was made and some of the behind-the-scenes magic that allows it to work, but the biggest reveal is that Bandersnatch required such an “enormous” amount of time and work that the fifth season of the oppressively dark sci-fi horror series has been delayed. Netflix hasn’t announced a premiere date for the next batch of traditional Black Mirror episodes, but the streaming service teased way back in March that more Black Mirror was “on the way.” Of course, there’s also the possibility that we’re all living in the new season of Black Mirror as another kind of wild twist, so make sure to stay on your toes in case you suddenly realize that your phone is actually bad.