"Black Mirror: Bandersnatch" is an interactive movie and has five different endings.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Netflix first pitched the idea to "Black Mirror" creator Charlie Brooker in May 2017.
A Netflix representative told Business Insider, "While Bandersnatch is a standalone film, it is not the sole film in Season 5. Season 5 will still return in 2019."Netflix released the first standalone "Black Mirror" movie on Friday, "Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, which features an interactive, choose-your-own-adventure style storyline that has been nearly two years in the making.
Netflix dropped a trailer for "Bandersnatch" on Thursday, which described it as a "Black Mirror Event," but the streamer kept most details away from the public. The Netflix page for the movie was also live, and described it as a Netflix Film. Now, the movie’s Netflix page describes it as a "Netflix Interactive Film."
Here’s the Netflix description for the movie: "In 1984, a young programmer begins to question reality as he adapts a dark fantasy novel into a video game. A mind-bending tale with multiple endings."
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"Bandersnatch" features five different endings, according to The New York Times. Options appear at the bottom of the screen with only a few seconds to choose. The Times reporter, David Streitfeld, said that the episode went back to the beginning when he did not choose anything, but it wasn’t clear whether it was a glitch or punishment.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, viewers will need about 90 minutes to reach an ending to "Bandersnatch," but could take almost two and a half hours to fully experience it.
Netflix pitched the idea of an interactive story to "Black Mirror" creator Charlie Brooker in May 2017, THR said. Brooker was hesitant at first.
"We didn’t know what the story would be and thought, ‘Wouldn’t that just be a gimmick?,’" Brooker told THR. "Annoyingly, several weeks later, we were throwing story ideas around and this idea popped up that would only work as an interactive. It was good to come back and have an idea, but also daunting."
"Bandersnatch" isn’t taking the place of season 5, however.
A Netflix representative told Business Insider, "While Bandersnatch is a standalone film, it is not the sole film in Season 5. Season 5 will still return in 2019."
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