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Everything We Know About Black Mirror Season 5

The release date is expected to be 'imminent-ish'

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Amanda Bell

Now that the novelty of Black Mirror's interactive movie-slash-episode Bandersnatch has worn off, it's time to talk about what's next for the unsettling anthology series.

Details on the show's fifth season are still relatively scarce, but thanks to some key interviews and casting announcements, we do have a broad idea of what's to come from the series that makes everyone side-eye their devices.

Here's what we've learned about Black Mirror Season 5 so far.

The cast will include an Avenger. Some of the first cast members to be officially confirmed for Black Mirror's fifth season were MCU star Anthony Mackie and DC's Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. Fans can probably expect to see other recognizable faces on the call list as well, as Charlie Brooker previously promised, "there's certainly some people that I've seen that I go, 'Oh, I know them!'"

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Miley Cyrus will appear in an Africa-set episode. The actress-musician was spotted filming for the anthology series in Cape Town, South Africa, alongside Ozark's Marc Menchaca. She later confirmed her part in the show to The Hollywood Reporter. "It was the first time I've left somewhere feeling really proud of my work," Cyrus said, adding that production took place during the California wildfires that destroyed her home. "There's a lot of dimension to it, and actually it was while the devastation of Malibu was happening, and it was a really weird learning experience for me because I was so far from home and the show is already really dark, and it's already kind of eerie when you're there the whole time. But I learned a lot about myself, and I think I was able to use that and put that into it."

At least some of the episodes will be a bit sunnier. Chatting with The New York Times, Charlie Brooker said that fans can expect some more "San Junipero"- and "Hang the DJ"-style positivity in the episodes ahead. "We're doing more optimistic episodes and stories, rather than just dystopian and negative ones," he told the Times. "We want to keep the show interesting for us." He has, however, shut down rumors that Season 5 will feature straight sequels to "San Junipero" and "White Bear."

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The show will still be upsetting, though. We shouldn't expect too much merriment in the moments to come. In a red carpet interview from early 2018, Brooker confirmed that Season 5 will tread some new territory and that fans can expect to be left agape at what they see. "It's definitely a challenge to kind of keep reinventing the show with each episode," he explained. "But hopefully, judging by the stuff we're working on so far for the next season, I think we've managed to keep things fresh and interesting and appalling in just the right measure."

Don't expect anymore interactive episodes. Bandersnatch may have been a fun and, at times, frustrating experience for fans who wanted to become a part of the show in some way, but Season 5 won't continue on that "choose your own adventure" path. "Doing Bandersnatch was like doing several episodes at once," Brooker told Radio Times. "So, in one respect the other Season 5 episodes are more straightforward, though they all come with their own challenges."

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One Bandersnatch character could make a comeback. Audiences won't be asked to participate in Season 5's episodes, but there is one character from Bandersnatch who could come back into the fold. Brooker told The Independent that Will Poulter's Colin Ritman -- a character who had an unsettling grip on the non-linear nature of his life in the story -- is "clearly the God of the Black Mirror multiverse" and that Brooker "can see him coming back" to the show.

It will be out soon. While no concrete release date has been scheduled for Black Mirror Season 5, it sounds like the wait won't be too long for fans. Brooker confirmed to the Radio Times in early 2019 that at least one episode of the new season was filmed before Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, and he expected the premiere date to be "imminent-ish."

Black Mirror Seasons 1-4 and Black Mirror: Bandersnatch are currently available on Netflix.

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Bryce Dallas Howard, Black Mirror

Bryce Dallas Howard, Black Mirror

David Dettmann/Netflix