# Bandersnatch Bandersnatch is Netflix's 2018 interactive Black Mirror film where viewers use their remote to pick the main character's choices, branching the story into multiple paths and endings. Set in 1984, it follows young British programmer Stefan Butler as he tries to adapt a choose-your-own-adventure fantasy novel into a video game. ## Overview Black Mirror: Bandersnatch is an interactive film in the science-fiction anthology series Black Mirror, released by Netflix on December 28, 2018[1]. Instead of a fixed runtime, viewers use their TV remote to make choices for the main character, routing the story down branching paths. Depending on the route a viewer takes, a single playthrough runs anywhere from about 50 minutes to over two hours[2]. The film is set in 1984 and follows Stefan Butler, played by Fionn Whitehead of Dunkirk fame, a young British programmer trying to adapt a choose-your-own-adventure fantasy novel into a video game[3]. The plot turns dark quickly, mirroring the fate of the in-story book's author, who lost his mind while writing his multiple-choice adventure and killed his wife[3]. Netflix called it the company's first interactive movie built specifically for an adult audience[3]. Bandersnatch pushed the interactive-video idea past the kids' shows Netflix had been testing, giving grown-up viewers a horror-flavored sci-fi story they had to steer with their thumbs[2]. Its structure, with looping timelines and self-aware nods to the viewer, quickly made it one of the most talked-about Black Mirror entries ever released[4]. ## How It Spread The project first surfaced publicly on October 1, 2018, when Bloomberg reported Netflix was planning a 'choose-your-own adventure Black Mirror' special that would let viewers influence the storyline and ending[1]. On November 30, a verified Netflix Twitter account briefly posted a December release schedule that listed a Black Mirror entry titled Bandersnatch dated December 28, then deleted the tweet[1]. Screenshots of the leak spread across Twitter the same day, and outlets like the Mirror picked it up hours later[1]. Netflix dropped the trailer on December 27, 2018, and it pulled in over 3 million views within four days[5]. The film premiered on the platform the following day[5]. When The Verge asked Netflix for comment on the leak, a spokesperson answered with a joke choose-your-own-response: 'You have the ability to choose your own response from Netflix: this or this'[1]. Once out, Bandersnatch turned into a viewer obsession, with fans mapping every branch of the story on Reddit and dedicated wikis. Netflix said the film had five 'main' endings with multiple variants on each, daring viewers to uncover them all[4]. Creator Charlie Brooker admitted he had lost track of the exact number, producer Russell McLean pegged it at 10 to 12 depending on how you count, and director David Slade said the team shot scenes so hard to reach that some viewers may never find them[4]. ## How to Use Bandersnatch is watched, not made, but the format itself became a template other creators tried to copy. Viewers press play on Netflix on a compatible device, then pick between two options that pop up on screen at branch points, usually with a 10-second timer[2]. Picking different combinations routes the story down different paths, and looping back to earlier decision points unlocks different endings[4]. Common convention among fans is to keep a decision map or use a community-made flowchart so you can chase the harder-to-reach endings without repeating the same choices. ## Cultural Impact Bandersnatch marked Netflix's first interactive film aimed at adults and arrived after more than 18 months of planning and production[2]. Its release kicked off a broader push by Netflix into interactive storytelling for grown-up viewers, following the interactive kids' work the company had already shipped[3]. The film also drew fresh attention to Lewis Carroll's original bandersnatch creature and to Imagine Software's cancelled 1984 megagame of the same name[5]. As a slang word, 'bandersnatch' had already been floating around Urban Dictionary for years, used variously for the Resident Evil Code: Veronica X enemy and as a Counter-Strike player nickname[6]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Bandersnatch? Bandersnatch is an interactive Black Mirror film released by Netflix on December 28, 2018, that lets viewers use their remote to make choices for the main character and branch the story down different paths[1]. ### Where did Bandersnatch come from? Netflix pitched an interactive adult episode to Black Mirror creators Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones in early 2017, and they agreed once they landed on a plot that only worked as an interactive movie[3]. ### What does Bandersnatch mean? The word comes from Lewis Carroll's 1870s poems 'Jabberwocky' and 'The Hunting of the Snark,' where the bandersnatch is a fictional creature[5]. ### How do you use Bandersnatch? You watch it on Netflix on a compatible device and pick between two on-screen options at branch points, usually with a 10-second timer, to route the story toward one of the endings[2]. ### Is Bandersnatch still popular? It is still one of the most talked-about Black Mirror entries and a reference point for interactive video projects, with fan communities still charting its branches on Reddit and dedicated wikis[4]. ### Who created Bandersnatch? It was written by Charlie Brooker and produced by Annabel Jones, the creators of Black Mirror, and directed by David Slade for Netflix[4]. ### When did Bandersnatch come out? The trailer went up on December 27, 2018 and pulled over 3 million views in four days, and the film premiered on Netflix on December 28, 2018[5]. ### How many endings does Bandersnatch have? Netflix officially points to five main endings with multiple variants, producer Russell McLean says 10 to 12 depending on how you count, and Brooker himself says he has forgotten the exact number[4]. ### Who stars in Bandersnatch? Fionn Whitehead, previously the lead in Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk, plays the young British programmer Stefan Butler[3]. ### Why is Bandersnatch set in 1984? The film opens on July 9, 1984, the same day British studio Imagine Software went bankrupt while working on its own unreleased Bandersnatch megagame, a real event the story nods to[5]. ### What was the first leak of Bandersnatch? On November 30, 2018, a verified Netflix Twitter account briefly posted a December release schedule listing a Black Mirror entry titled Bandersnatch dated December 28, then deleted the tweet after screenshots spread[1]. ## References 1. [https://www.forbes.com/sites/jessedamiani/2018/12/02/black-mirror-gets-season-5-release-date-via-leak/]() 2. [https://www.wired.com/story/black-mirror-bandersnatch-interactive-episode/]() 3. [https://variety.com/2018/digital/news/netflix-black-mirror-bandersnatch-interactive-1203096171/]() 4. [https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/amp/live-feed/black-mirror-bandersnatch-charlie-brooker-talks-interactive-movie-1171496]() 5. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/subcultures/bandersnatch]() 6. [https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Bandersnatch]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/bandersnatch Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library