U.K. sci-fi series Black Mirror returns with a new feature film premiering on Netflix tomorrow (December 28), Deadline reports. The movie, titled Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, follows a computer programmer who loses grip on reality as he works on a game adaptation of a fictional fantasy novel, also titled Bandersnatch. It’s set in the ’80s, as evidenced by the trailer’s prominent use of the Frankie Goes to Hollywood hit “Relax.” The official Netflix synopsis reads: “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 film stars Fionn Whitehead (Dunkirk) alongside Will Poulter and Asim Chaudhry. It’s reportedly directed by David Slade, who also directed Black Mirror episode “Metalhead” and films including Hard Candy and 30 Days of Night. A leaked ratings board document indicates the new film includes more than five hours of footage, suggesting a “choose your own adventure”-style plot with multiple possible outcomes. The name “Bandersnatch” is a reference to a fictional creature in Lewis Carroll’s 1872 novel Through the Looking Glass, offering another clue on to what to expect.
Bandersnatch is apparently not connected to the upcoming fifth season of Charlie Brooker’s headtrip Twilight Zone-like series, which is expected sometime in the coming new year. Last year, the “San Junipero” episode won an Emmy for Outstanding Television Movie. Watch the new trailer below.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=XM0xWpBYlNM
