The Netflix release dates for 2019 have been released, including multiple hit TV shows such as Stranger Things, The Crown and perhaps one of the most highly-anticipated installments of all, season five of Black Mirror. This complex TV series has fascinated and enraptured viewers since its debut season back in 2011, shocking the world into awareness with its darkly keen, sinister portrayals of the perils of technology. The show, after releasing season four in 2017, has been on a hiatus since then with seemingly no indications for the arrival of the next season, keeping fans on edge.
Thankfully, producer Charlie Brooker provided some insight to RadioTimes.com, saying that the episodes are “imminent-ish” since the official release date hasn’t been set yet. Booker relayed that some of them have already been shot a while ago during the creation of Bandersnatch, the first interactive movie on Netflix that took the world — and social media — by a storm. Brooker explained, “We’d already shot, like, one of the episodes of season five before we did Bandersnatch.”
As to the actual storyline of season five, Brooker alluded to RadioTimes.com that it would contain “a mix” of the more sinister atmosphere of Black Mirror as well as its rare occurrences of optimism and hope. Co-showrunner Annabel Jones supplemented his statement by saying that the diverse array of tones will be similar to Bandersnatch. This information does not come as a surprise, especially since Black Mirror is known for boasting an arsenal of varied themes and emotions, from polarizing episodes such as “White Bear” to lighter ones such as “San Junipero.”
Yorkie and Kelly from “San Junipero” (Courtesy of David Dettmann/Netflix)
The previous seasons of the TV show have leaned towards the gritty, uncomfortable side, but this time Brooker reported that they’re “doing more optimistic episodes and stories, rather than just dystopian and negative ones,” while still keeping true to the mind-bending nature of the show. This change of route might prove to be a challenging one, as part of what made Black Mirror so successful was the unfettered bleakness and insanity of some of the plot lines. “It’s definitely a challenge to kind of keep reinventing the show with each episode,” he admitted but remained otherwise silent on the topic.
Rumors about casting have also been running rampant, the most notable being the appearance of Miley Cyrus. In a radio interview with Howard Stern, she cryptically told him, “If you guess it, then I will shake my head ‘yes’ or ‘no.'” Later, after Stern confirmed the rumors of her starring in season five, she added equally as mysteriously, “I’m really excited for everyone to watch the ‘headshaking project’ we said yes to.” Additionally, actors such as Anthony Mackie from Infinity War and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II from Aquaman have been included in the casting rumors circulating around.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Courtesy of Erik Pendzich/Rex/Shutterstock)
Besides all these tidbits and clues, the concrete details of season five are still vague, serving to only amp of the excitement even more. With the most recent season having aired so long ago, coupled with the huge-hit Bandersnatch from last year, the fifth season of Black Mirror is sure to be received and promptly devoured with booming hype.
Featured Image Courtesy of PhotoLov3 via Imgur
