Why it matters: Netflix is looking to buck normalcy with season five of Black Mirror. Rumors suggest the series may actually be an interactive, movie-length episode starring Miley Cyrus. Fortunately, we won't have to wait too much longer to get some answers.

Word surfaced a couple of months ago that Netflix was working on a choose-your-own-adventure Black Mirror episode. Details were scant but sources at the time said the episode could debut by the end of the year.

The fifth season of Black Mirror is also expected any day now.

Turns out, the two may be related.

Netflix last month in a tweet about its December programming schedule cited something called Black Mirror: Bandersnatch set to debut on December 28. The post was eventually pulled but now, a listing for Bandersnatch has appeared on Netflix's website.

Curiously enough, it's described as "a Netflix film" rather than a standalone episode. Engadget reports that the listing had a runtime of five hours and 12 minutes although as of writing, it's listed as just two minutes long (perhaps Netflix changed it or this is for a not-yet-available trailer?).

The general consensus seems to be that season five of Black Mirror won't be a traditional series at all but rather, an interactive movie of sorts.

A bandersnatch, according to Wikipedia, is a character from Lewis Carroll's novel Through the Looking-Glass. It's also apparently the title of a 1984 video game that never got released. The game was subtly featured on the cover of a magazine in a Black Mirror episode from a few years back.


Miley Cyrus also recently confirmed that she'll be participating in an upcoming episode of Black Mirror (could it be Bandersnatch?). The singer this past weekend performed as the musical guest on 2018's final episode of SNL, narrowly escaping a nip slip.

This thread over on Twitter also has some interesting information if you're looking to dive deeper.

Lead image courtesy AtSkwongPhoto via Shutterstock