How ‘Black Mirror: Bandersnatch’ Was Made

Black Mirror regularly delivers stories about technology being pushed forward in unexpected and compelling ways, with Bandersnatch utilizing these concepts to bring audiences an interactive adventure where your choices impact the narrative’s conclusion. A new featurette, which can be seen above, explores how the project came together and the challenges faced by the creative teams involved.

In 1984, a young programmer begins to question reality as he adapts a sprawling fantasy novel into a video game and soon faces a mind-mangling challenge. Welcome back.

The series debuted in 2011 on the British television channel Channel 4 and was purchased by Netflix in 2015. The standalone nature of each episode, and the imaginative storylines from creator Charlie Brooker, earned it a passionate following as the series became more accessible on the streaming platform. As Netflix began producing new episodes, Black Mirror gained even more acclaim, regularly earning itself nominations from prestigious awards organizations.

The last official season of the series debuted in December of 2017, with Netflix beginning to tease a new Black Mirror project late last year. Fans didn’t entirely know what to expect, but when Bandersnatch debuted, it was clear that it was a concept that resonated strongly with the sci-fi series’ audience.

Bandersnatch encourages audiences to become an active part of the story and select one of two options for its characters at various intervals. This has led some viewers to experiment with every choice imaginable, though director David Slade claims unlocking all of Bandersnatch‘s secrets is easier said than done.

“There are scenes that some people just will never see and we had to make sure that we were OK with that. We actually shot a scene that we can’t access,” Slade revealed to The Hollywood Reporter.

One inherent issue with creating such a complex narrative is that some audiences believe there is one “true” ending, which Brooker intended to be the final goal of the episode, with all other endings being merely alternatives. Brooker, however, noted that even an abrupt ending to the story is still technically an ending.

“There were quite heated debates about what constitutes an ‘ending,’” Brooker admitted. “There’s a school of thought that says any time it stops and you go back, that’s an ending. In Bandersnatch, there are endings that are really abrupt that are still endings, in my mind.”

Black Mirror: Bandersnatch is available on Netflix now. Stay tuned for details on when we can expect an official fifth season.

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