Black Mirror debuted its sixth season recently, so will it be back for Season 7 on Netflix, and when could it release?
The Charlie Brooker-created anthology series tells standalone stories in dystopian worlds across a variety of genres. Black Mirror often dives into cautionary tales on the risks of technology to commentate on modern social issues.
The show has received massive acclaim from viewers and critics over the years, with some calling it one of the greatest series of recent years.
Will Black Mirror Return for Season 7?
Black Mirror hasn't gotten an official renewal for Season 7 yet, but there has also been no sign of the show coming to an end. Creator Charlie Brooker has even been clear about having more ideas (more on that later).
Season 6 debuted on Netflix as the second-biggest streaming release on the charts across all services, according to Samba TV, only coming in behind Chris Hemsworth's Extraction 2 which was released just several days prior.
So, Netflix will likely be willing to renew Black Mirror provided Brooker is looking to stick around, and he has shown no interest in ending the show at this time.
When Will Black Mirror Season 7 Release on Netflix?
Black Mirror writer Charlie Brooker is not a member of the striking WGA, as he is instead part of the British equivalent, the WGGB. As such, the ongoing Hollywood strikes may not be holding up the potential writing of Season 7.
New Black Mirror projects were released annually from 2016 to 2019 before taking a break during the global COVID-19 pandemic until 2023's Season 6, with Brooker blaming the decision on how COVID-19 impacted the world was already tragic enough.
If Brooker intends on returning to the old Black Mirror release schedule and the show does catch a renewal from Netflix, Season 7 could arrive by the end of 2024.
But more realistically, the hit series probably won't be back until 2025, as the show still hasn't been renewed and Season 6 has only just been released recently.
Not to mention, even if Brooker can keep writing, filming probably won't be able to begin due to the SAG-AFTRA actors' strike as Black Mirror usually features many major Hollywood actors such as Aaron Paul and Salma Hayek.
What Will Black Mirror Season 7's Episodes Be About?
Speaking with Digital Spy in June 2023 about how he would like to evolve Black Mirror in the future, Charlie Brooker hinted how he has "never done an animated episode or a musical episode:"
"I've never done an animated episode or a musical episode. Actually, weirdly, 'USS Callister' started life — because I was thinking of a story to do with a musical, and it somehow became 'USS Callister'. So sometimes you're aiming for one thing, and you veer off somewhere else."
As Brooker had attempted to create a musical episode before, even though it evolved into something else, perhaps he may revisit the concept.
The Black Mirror creator also teased in a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter he may be open to creating another interactive episode after Bandersnatch, noting that it's "definitely something [he] would do again:"
"While we were making it we kept saying, 'We'll never do this again'. And then I guess, perhaps like childbirth, you block out the pain and approach it a second time. By the end I was saying, 'Oh I've got an idea'. It's definitely something I would do again and I think there are lots of ways to tackle it."
But as Bandersnatch released as a standalone interactive episode, completely separate from any new season, such an endeavor would presumably be released at a later point, or maybe even before Season 7.
Which Actors Will Appear in Black Mirror Season 7's Cast?
As every episode of Black Mirror tells its own story with a unique cast of characters and actors to go along with it, so it's impossible to tell exactly who could appear in Season 7 for now, and it won't be for some time.
The show typically presents a balance of a few major Hollywood A-listers along with some smaller talent to piece together its ensembles. Some of the bigger names to appear in Black Mirror include Salma Hayek, Anthony Mackie, Hayley Atwell, Aaron Paul, Miley Cyrus, and more.
During a Q&A ahead of Season 6, Charlie Brooker noted how "there's no rule that says that an actor can't come back to Black Mirror," so the many major stars who have appeared in past seasons are far from off the table.
The Netflix show created listed several examples, particularly noting one who appeared in both Seasons 5 and 6, indicating even the actors who were in the last batch of Black Mirror episodes could still appear in new roles:
"There's no rule that says that an actor can't come back to Black Mirror. We have had some — Monica Dolan is in this season as well, who was in 'Smithereens' in season five. Anjana Vasan, who stars in 'Demon 79' alongside Paapa [Esseidu], she was in 'Nosedive'. Michaela Coel was in [the show] twice. She had a small part in 'Nosedive' and 'USS Callister'. So yes, there's loads of them."
Black Mirror is streaming now on Netflix.
