Spoilers for Black Mirror: Bandersnatch ahead
Since its release just after Christmas, Black Mirror fans have been dissecting Bandersnatch like a frog in an anatomy class, trying to uncover all its various hidden pathways and secrets.
And while Black Mirror episodes tend to be self-contained, Bandersnatch has plenty on nods and call-backs to previous stories, maybe hinting at some sort of Black Mirror expanded universe.
Could we ever see a direct follow-up to Bandersnatch though? JOE spoke to the stars of the episode Fionn Whitehead (troubled protagonist Stefan) and Will Poulter (wunderkind programmer Colin Ritman), and asked them if there was any scope for a sequel or a continuation set in the same world.
And they both thought there was potential.
“I think actually, as much as Bandersnatch can appear to be on an infinite loop that you can try again and you can go back to the start, there are also pathways that feel relatively open-ended and endings that feel not totally tied off,” said Poulter. “That sounds interesting”.
Whitehead even suggested a very interesting direction it could head in.
“Someone talked earlier about the idea of Pearl, Colin’s daughter, having a sort of sequel,”
“I think that could be interesting. I’d say it’s possible.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XM0xWpBYlNM
What makes that stand idea stand out it that is is actually hinted at in the episode.
In one of Bandersnatch’s later ending, after the credits, it cuts to the present day where Colin’s daughter Pearl (previously seen as a toddler in the 1980s) is attempting to resurrect the game, possibly for a streaming service.
She then starts to freak out in the same way Stefan dies, and smashes her computer.
This would be a pretty interesting way to re-enter the world of Bandersnatch.
Will Poulter also spoke about the potential that the “interactive” technology used for Bandersnatch could hold for the future of television.
“It would be really interesting to see how a construct like this could affect the viewing experience of a TV series.
“For example, depending on the choices that you make in episode one, your episode two could be a different experience to someone else. The idea of getting to the end of a series, and having had a completely different experience to someone else – that’s mad.”
“I’m just thinking about how many hours it would take to shoot.”
Black Mirror: Bandersnatch is on Netflix now. Look out for our full interview with Will Poulter and Fionn Whitehead coming soon.
