I’m sure you get recommendations all the time for “must-see” TV, but this is different, you need to be watching Netflix and Charlie Brooker’s Emmy-winning anthology sci-fi seriesBlack Mirror. Created and written by Brooker,Black Mirrorfeatures stand-alone episodes that are sharp, suspenseful, satirical tales that explore techno-paranoia. Some could call Charlie Brooker’sBlack Mirrora contemporary reworking of Rod Serling’sThe Twilight Zonewith stories that tap into the collective unease about the modern world. Tag to that, each episode (usually) sports a killer cast. And speaking of which, Anthony Mackie (Captain America: The Winter Soldier) and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Aquaman) have been asked to join in on the upcoming fifth season.
Netflixhas been extremely quiet about the upcoming season and won’t comment on the casting. But go figure, this isBlack Mirrorwe’re talking about here. Secrecy is the name of the game. No one even knew David Slade’s interactive filmBlack Mirror: Bandersnatchstarring Fionn Whitehead, Will Poulter, Asim Chaudhry, Craig Parkinson, and Alice Lowe was even a thing until about a week before it landed on Netflix back in December 2018. So again, secrecy is kind of a thing that goes hand-in-hand with these tales of techno-terror.
Anthony Mackiestarted in Hollywood with roles such as Papa Doc in8 Milestarring Eminem, and Killer ‘Joker’ inHollywood Homicidestarring Harrison Ford and Josh Harnett. He also had roles inThe Manchurian Candidate, Spike Lee’sShe Hate Me, Clint Eastwood’sMillion Dollar Baby, and let’s not forget his role as the ill-fated Tupac Shakur inNotorious. These roles were all before finally donning the metal wings for his breakout role of Sam Wilson / Falcon in The Russo Brothers’Captain America: The Winter Soldiera role he reprised inAvengers: Age of Ultron,Ant-Man,Captain America: Civil War, andAvengers: Infinity War. And (possibly)Avengers: Endgame. Most recently, Mackie played Takeshi Kovacs in Netflix’sAltered Carbon.
Meanwhile,Abdul-Mateen IIis best known for his role as the evil Manta in James Wan’sAquamanopposite Jason Momoa. But the actor is also known for his roles such as Cadillac in Netflix’s The Get Down, The Handmaid’s Tale TV Series, The Greatest Showman, and Baywatch. Abdul-Mateen II can be seen in a theater near you this weekend in Jordan Peele’s new nightmareUsand can be seen next in Peele’s reboot/sequel to Clive Barker’sCandymanand Damon Lindelof’sWatchmenseries over on HBO.
Going back toBlack Mirroragain, season three might be the best yet in my humble opinion. After all, it features killer episodes such as James Watkins' “Shut Up and Dance,” Owen Harris' “San Junipero” starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Mackenzie Davis, Dan Trachtenberg’s “Playtest” starring Wyatt Russell, and Joe Wright’s “Nosedive” starring Bryce Dallas Howard and Alice Eve. But that said, the most recently released fourth season is a close second in the running for the best one yet. Episodes featured include Jodie Foster’s “Arkangel” starring Rosemarie DeWitt, John Hillcoat’s “Crocodile” with Andrea Riseborough, Tim Van Patten’s “Hang the DJ” starring Georgina Campbell and Joe Cole, David Slade’s “Metalhead,” and Colm McCarthy’s “Black Museum” starring Letitia Wright. And let’s not forget Toby Haynes' “USS Callister” starring Jesse Plemons and Jimmi Simpson. This super-sized episode is the new flagship entry in the series in my eyes. If you watch one episode ofBlack Mirrormake it “USS Callister.” You won’t be disappointed. This casting update comes to us viaDeadline.
