'Black Mirror' could be remade in the US
Charlie Brooker's bleakly satirical sci-fi short stories could disturb you afresh, this time in an American accent.
"Black Mirror" could be about to get a mirror image -- in the form of a US remake. The word of mouth around the British show has US producers considering a new version of Charlie Brooker's anthology of satirical stories about the dark side of technology.
The series of disturbing glimpses into various possible futures, each bleaker than the last, has got into the heads of US viewers after appearing on Netflix in December. Now production company Endemol Shine North America is looking at an American version, according to Variety. As yet, it's not been confirmed whether the proposed US take would retell the same stories or come up with original premises.
Created by British journalist and professional curmudgeon Charlie Brooker, the Emmy-winning "Black Mirror" began in 2011 on the UK's Channel 4. There have been two mini-series, each of three episodes, and a Christmas special last year. Like classic anthology shows such as "The Twilight Zone" and "The Outer Limits", each episode features a different cast and tells a self-contained story.
Actors to have appeared in the original show include Rory Kinnear, Jessica Brown Findlay, Rupert Everett and Jon Hamm. The 2013 episode "Be Right Back" starred Hayley Atwell, now leading Marvel-based TV show " Agent Carter" in the US, and Domhnall Gleeson, who will appear later this year in " Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens".
The episode "The Entire History of You", which posits a future where people are implanted with chips that allow them to play back memories, has also been optioned by Robert Downey Jr. for a possible big screen adaptation.
If you haven't seen "Black Mirror", I strongly recommend it -- it's blistering stuff, prescient and thought-provoking and hugely compelling. Yes, the first episode is uncompromisingly dark but incredibly powerful, and the anthology nature of the show means you can watch most episodes in any order you want. It's on Netflix now in the US, while in the UK you can also watch it online on Channel 4's 4OD.
Speaking of British sci-fi shows being remade in the US, David Fincher will this year direct a new version of Channel 4's disturbing -- and prematurely cancelled -- "Utopia". Some of the more successful US remakes include "The Office" and " House of Cards", both preceded by BBC versions in the UK.