Real life may be feeling more like an episode of Black Mirror all the time, but that isn’t going to stop the show itself. Despite the fact Netflix has fondness for cancelling shows that people love, Black Mirror season 6 is apparently happening. Netflix hasn't confirmed it, though.
There's a lot we still don't know, and things are likely to stay that way pending any major announcements from Netflix. The good news is some information has come out, with news on who's involved and the kind of things we can expect to see. So here's everything we know about Black Mirror season 6 so far.
Black Mirror season 6 release date speculation
We still have no word on when Black Mirror season 6 will launch, and Netflix isn't likely to tell us until much closer to release day. Variety (opens in new tab) broke news of Black Mirror season 6, stating "It’s been almost three years since Season 5 of the dystopian drama premiered on the streaming service in June 2019, but sources indicate that a new anthology series of “Black Mirror” is shaping up, and casting is now underway."
What we do know is that the sixth season began filming in mid-2022, with stars Aaron Paul and Kate Mara seen filming scenes in the English seaside town of Rye (opens in new tab). The Olive Press (opens in new tab) also reported last June that the show was filming in Spain's Costa del Sol.
So the possibility of Black Mirror season 6 debuting in 2023 is fairly likely, though it does all depend on how many episodes there are going to be. If it's a pretty hefty season, as rumored, we may even see the show pushed back to early 2024. Here's hoping that's not the case.
Black Mirror season 6 stories and episode count
There's been no announcement on how many episodes Black Mirror season 6 will have, or what those stories will be about. Being Black Mirror this will be some sort of commentary on technology and its impact on the real world, with some sort of twist — usually a dark one.
According to Variety, who broke the news that Netflix had commissioned more Black Mirror, season 6 will have a larger episode count. However it wasn't clear whether this meant more than six episodes, which we got from seasons 3 and 4, or more than the three we got in season 5.
The episodes are said to be "more cinematic in scope" and may be getting treated like stand-alone movies. How that differs from the standard Black Mirror anthology format isn't entirely clear. However it could mean the episodes are closer to 90 minutes than previous seasons which usually (but not always) stick to a 40-60 minute running time.
Black Mirror season 6 cast news and rumors
Black Mirror is no longer the small-time British television show it started out as, and has managed to pull in some major star power since even before it moved to Netflix. So it's no surprise that some big names are confirmed for season 6.
Among those seemingly confirmed (opens in new tab) to star in Black Mirror season 6 are Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad), Kate Mara (House of Cards), Danny Ramirez (Top Gun Maverick), Zazie Beetz (Atlanta), Josh Hartnett (Penny Dreadful), Paapa Essiedu (Gangs of london), Anjana Vasan (We Are Lady Parts), and Clara Rugaard (The Rising).
Also rumored (opens in new tab), but not confirmed, to be joining the cast as Salma Hayek (Eternals) and Annie Murphy (Schitt's Creek).
Black Mirror season 6: Why it's taken so long
While Netflix does have a habit of canceling shows we love, Black Mirror was not one of them. So why's it taking so long to get another batch of episodes? Season 5 came out in 2019, after all, and at this point there's only so much time you can attribute to COVID delays.
Back in 2020 series creator Charlie Brooker said he doubted (opens in new tab) the show would return, and whether he had what it takes to write Black Mirror-style stories anymore — or whether audiences had the stomach for them. Considering how depressing Black Mirror tends to be, and the state of the real world at the time, we can see where he's coming from.
Rights issues will also have played a factor, since the rights to Black Mirror weren't owned by Brooker and his creative partner Annabelle Jones. Instead rights were owned by House of Tomorrow, a production company the duo established and later parted ways with, and its parent company. It looks like some sort of deal has been worked out.
