One of the best episodes of Black Mirror, that premiered 14 years ago today, was almost made into a movie by none other than Academy Award winner Robert Downey Jr. shortly after its release. Created by social critic Charlie Brooker, Black Mirror has gone from strength to strength since landing on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom in 2011. There is only one episode of Black Mirror that has not been written or co-written by Brooker, released on December 18, 2011, but “The Entire History of You” is regarded as one of the show’s best.
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Written by sitcom writer Jesse Armstrong (Peep Show, Fresh Meat, Succession), “The Entire History of You” took place in a near future where the implanted “grain” records an individual’s audiovisual senses, allowing people to rewatch their memories. The episode follows a turn of events in the life of couple Liam and Ffion Foxwell (Toby Kebbell and Jodie Whittaker), but the concept was almost expanded in a non-Black Mirror feature film. In fact, it was Robert Downey Jr.’s production company, Team Downey, who purchased the film rights to “The Entire History of You,” but a movie never actually materialized.
“The Entire History of You” Would Have Been a Great Feature Film Outside Black Mirror
Jesse Armstrong used his experience with point-of-view filming from Peep Show when developing “The Entire History of You,” which used POV a lot as individuals watched back their memories. The Black Mirror episode focused on the domestic story of Liam and Ffion—with the former using his memories to learn the latter had an affair and realizing his daughter isn’t actually his. However, Armstrong asked to reserve the film rights to the story of “The Entire History of You” when signing on to write the episode, allowing him to reach out to get the concept transferred into a theatrical release.
Founded in 2010 by Robert Downey Jr. and his wife, Susan Downey, the production company Team Downey purchased the film rights to “The Entire History of You” in 2013. Armstrong planned to write a script for a movie that would have followed a man uncovering a secret about his marriage when watching back memories of his deceased wife on his grain, but this feature film is yet to come to fruition. In 2018, five years after Team Downey bought the rights, Armstrong suggested the deal had lapsed, and any semblance of a project was in development hell.
We haven’t heard anything about a movie of “The Entire History of You” in the years since, but the concept is one that would be fantastic to explore in movies outside Black Mirror. Whether this happens or not, the actual Black Mirror episode is one of the strongest examples of the near-future twists the anthology series includes in every story, so it will be remembered positively even if a feature film never gets made. Armstrong still owns the rights to “The Entire History of You,” so a movie could be made, but there’s no sign of this happening anytime soon.
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Image courtesy of Universal Pictures.
