Why A Fascinating Black Mirror Spin-Off Project Was Canceled

The bleak, dystopian world of "Black Mirror" induces a sense of fascination for a reason. Speculative fiction has always had a grasp over our imaginations, as these stories allow us to confront probable, uncomfortable futures from a safe distance. While some of these tales might feel a bit too outlandish for objective reality, the appeal lies in the luxury to flesh out these realities and measure them across the human spectrum. As "Black Mirror" roots such tropes into worlds that are very close to our own, the anxiety feels palpable. While these bite-sized stories might have lost their edge over time, they still compel and terrify, prompting us to engage with complex conundrums.

Charlie Brooker's "Black Mirror" recently released its seventh season, so it is no surprise that such a long-standing franchise has harbored plans to craft spin-off books based on its premise. In 2017, a three-book series was announced with Brooker acting as editor, where the goal was to offer new, intriguing tales that were similar in tone to the episodes in the Netflix series. Plans to bring these literary worlds to life were nothing short of ambitious, as the pages allegedly included some sort of ink code that would help retain vivid, unforgettable imagery. As far-fetched as that sounds, Brooker seemed enthusiastic about this project, stating that these stories had some "strikingly different tones and looks" with a dash of "unpleasant stuff" that occurs without fail (via Digital Spy).

These books were supposed to be in collaboration with Penguin Random House and Ebury Publishing, with the first one being slated to release at the beginning of 2018. Alas, this project had to be canceled due to unavoidable factors. Let's take a look at the reasons behind this cancellation and whether we have any other "Black Mirror" book spin-offs to look forward to.

Unfortunately, the unnamed trilogy of books has been postponed indefinitely, as Brooker and executive producer Annabel Jones were unable to give the project the time it required. A clash with existing schedules might have created this issue, which kept snowballing until the three-book plan was called off. Brooker told Digital Spy that he and Jones had inadvertently "sort of messed up" the project in question:

"It was slightly tricky. That [the three-book series] ended up demanding slightly more involvement than myself and Annabel had time for – so we sort of messed up a bit there! [...] I'm not sure when or if that [novel series] will appear. Probably not."

Brooker also toyed with the notion of somebody else taking over the novel series, but ultimately decided that it would be "frustrating for somebody else stepping into that" as the world of "Black Mirror" is "more idiosyncratic" than one would realize. This makes sense, as Brooker and Jones are intimately aware of what kind of stories fit into the tone of the show, and are the best people to discern the same in a literary format. Unfortunately, the project is dead, at least for the foreseeable future.

But fret not, Brooker and co. have painstakingly worked on an oral history of the show, titled "Inside Black Mirror," which functions as an official companion to the television series, featuring interviews, behind-the-scenes snippets, and more. As the Netflix show is still churning out new seasons, the book contains exclusive commentary on the first 19 episodes, where we get a glimpse into the fascinating nitty-gritties of these distinct micro-worlds. Brooker explained that this oral history took a more conversational approach to the dense, dynamic subject matter of the series:

"It's almost conversational. It's based on lots of interviews that [co-author] Jason [Arnopp] did with myself, and Annabel and lots and lots of people involved in the show, which meant that there's room for disagreement, and room for people to remember things differently [...] We were keen for it to not just be a detached 'guide' – for it to have conversational flavour, and hopefully that means there's room for jokes, as well as little nuggets of information. Hopefully, you also get a sense of the personalities behind the show, and the challenges involved in making it."

Brooker also joked that the book is big and heavy enough to "stun a burglar," so that is certainly an aspect worth considering. Jokes aside, "Inside Black Mirror" is more than just a collector's item, as its heady exploration of every shade of speculative fiction is well worth your time.