Will There Be a ‘Black Mirror’ Season 7?

‘Black Mirror,’ the popular sci-fi series, created by Charlie Brooker, made a triumphant return to screens this year after a four-year hiatus, amassing impressive viewing figures on Netflix. The streaming giant reported that the show secured a spot in the Top 10 in 92 countries and maintained a presence in Netflix's global top 10 English-speaking TV for four consecutive weeks.

While the cast for Season 7 remains unconfirmed, sources suggest that production is slated to commence later this year, with Charlie Brooker, Annabel Jones and Jessica Rhoades expected to return as executive producers. Details about the plot and the number of episodes are being closely guarded. 

Image Courtesy: Men’s Health

The previous season, Season 6, comprised five parts and boasted a star-studded lineup, including Salma Hayek, Annie Murphy, Aaron Paul, Josh Hartnett and Paapa Essiedu. 

In contrast, Season 5 had only three episodes and featured actors like Andrew Scott, Anthony Mackie, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Topher Grace, and Miley Cyrus. The intricate rights situation surrounding ‘Black Mirror’ contributed to the delay between Seasons 5 and 6. 

Brooker and Annabel Jones, his creative partner, departed from their production company, ‘House of Tomorrow,’ in January 2020 to establish Broke and Bones at Netflix. However, the rights to ‘Black Mirror’ remained with Endemol Shine, which was acquired by Banijay Group in 2020. Banijay Rights, in turn, licenses the show to Netflix.

Image Courtesy: Variety

Known for its dystopian tales often eerily prescient of the future, the most recent season, released in June, kicked off with an episode centred around a streaming service called Streamberry that utilized AI to turn people's lives into real-time shows for its platform. Brooker revealed that the episode was written before the AI program ChatGPT gained national attention, a topic that featured prominently in WGA and SAG-AFTRA negotiations regarding the permitted use and scope of AI.

"I worry for a living—it's generally what I do—and I'm very concerned about AI and the use of ChatGPT and things like that," Brooker expressed during a London rally supporting the writers' strike earlier this year. When asked if the episode was another instance of ‘Black Mirror’ predicting the future, he responded, "Unfortunately, in this case."

-Britney Jones