Black Mirror: Bandersnatch Is Leaving Netflix—But What About Season 7 Sequel Episode? Here’s How It Can Live On
Netflix will soon remove its immensely popular interactive film Black Mirror: Bandersnatch. Will it impact a related Black Mirror Season 7 episode? What can Netflix do instead? Here is what we think.
What Can Netflix Do With Black Mirror: Bandersnatch Instead Of Removal? (Photo Credit – Instagram)
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Streaming giant Netflix will soon remove its immensely popular interactive film Black Mirror: Bandersnatch from its Interactive Specials page, according to an earlier report by What’s On Netflix. The title will no longer be available on Netflix from May 12, 2025.
Earlier this year, two more interactive specials, namely Ranveer vs Wild with Bear Grylls and You vs. Wild, were also removed. The removals are happening because Netflix wants to focus more on the mobile and cloud gaming segments. So, if you haven’t already watched/played Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, now’s the time to do that.
What Is Black Mirror: Bandersnatch All About?
Set in 1984, the interactive sci-fi film revolves around a young programmer, Stefan Butler (played by Fionn Whitehead), who attempts to adapt a choose-your-own-adventure-style fantasy novel into a revolutionary video game. While developing the game, things get complicated for Stefan, and it begins to affect his personal relationships. The twist was that, unlike a regular Netflix film, Bandersnatch allowed the viewer to make multiple choices for the main character at crucial points in the movie, leading to different endings. The film was released by Netflix in 2018.
Will Black Mirror: Bandersnatch’s Removal Affect Black Mirror Season 7?
The most recent seventh season of the Black Mirror anthology series consisted of an episode called Plaything, which is set in the same universe as the 2018 film Black Mirror: Bandersnatch. The film’s two important characters, Colin Ritman and Mohan Thakur (played by Will Poulter and Asim Chaudhry), also appear in Plaything. Plaything is a sort of sequel, although not a direct sequel to Bandersnatch.
However, those who have seen the film will have the added benefit of recall value and character recognition, which might help them understand and enjoy the episode more. Having said that, it’s not mandatory that you must have seen Bandersnatch to watch Plaything. But still, watching or not watching Bandersnatch will, in some ways, affect the entertainment value of the Plaything episode.
What Can Netflix Do?
Instead of wiping out Black Mirror: Bandersnatch altogether, Netflix can remove the ‘interactive’ part of the film. We mean to say that the streaming giant can upload the same movie with three to five of the most popular or the best endings, which viewers can simply watch like a regular film or a multi-part web series without controlling the character. By doing that, it won’t affect Black Mirror Season 7 episode, Plaything, in a big way, and fans who enjoyed Black Mirror: Bandersnatch could still revisit the film in a different format. It might be a win-win situation for both Netflix and the audience. What’s your take on that?
