On Thursday the streaming giant Netflix dropped the trailer for Black Mirror: Bandersnatch — which is available Dec. 28 — and thankfully many (but not all) of the questions consuming fans since it was first announced in October have been answered.
According to the synopsis, Bandersnatch, which takes place in 1984, tells the story of “a young programmer [who] 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 clip shows the main character, played by Dunkirk’s Fionn Whitehead, popping pills and listening to records as Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s “Relax” plays in the background. The general vibe of the trailer looks like the dystopian elements will come from a mix of fantasy — one scene shows Whitehead reaching into a liquified mirror — and mental illness, or “madness,” as one character calls it.
The show’s Twitter account posted the trailer with the caption, “Don’t do it.”
The trailer refers to Bandersnatch as “a Black Mirror event,” so it’s still unclear if it will be a feature-length film or just an episode, as the initial Bloomberg report suggested.
Also, past rumors have speculated that it will be organized in a “choose-your-own-adventure” style — which the trailer alludes to but doesn’t exactly confirm. For example, words at the end encourage viewers to “Change your mind,” “Change your past” and “Change your future.”
According to Deadline, Black Mirror will also be getting a complete fifth season — which does not include Bandersnatch — to be released at a later, unannounced date.
A Bandersnatch is a creature of Lewis Carroll’s creation. It was first introduced in a poem the Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland author wrote for the sequel, Through the Looking Glass. In “The Jabberwocky,” the Bandersnatch is described as “frumious” — or ferocious and fierce.
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