When Black Mirror returned at the very end of 2018, it wasn’t with a new series but labyrinthine choose-your-own-morbid-adventure interactive film Bandersnatch. And while that was a fascinating and inventive experiment, the prospect of a new regular series of Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones’ bleak technological satire is hugely enticing. Well, it’s nearly here – Season 5 is coming to Netflix on 5 June, with three brand new star-packed episodes. Watch the trailer here.
There’s plenty to unpack here – for one, those guest stars. It looks like Andrew Scott is leading one episode, with a fresh-from-Endgame Anthony Mackie also starring this series, plus Miley Cyrus going full pop-star, and Topher Grace donning an unsettling wig. All the usual tech paranoia is present and accounted for, with some visuals that look contemporary to the present day, and other instalments looking somewhat more futuristic. And then there’s that Street Fighter-styled fight scene – a new visual leap for the series.
This marks the first time that the show has returned to a three-episode series since the show’s original Channel 4 runs – and all three instalments are said to be written by Brooker himself. Bring on the summertime sadness, arriving 5 June.
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