After its three-year hiatus, Netflix’s hit anthology series Black Mirror is gearing up for its long awaited return. The series has an all-star cast lined up for Season 6, including big names like Zazie Beetz (Atlanta) and Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad).
The popular series – which is now believed to be in production – revealed the cast list for three episodes of Season 6, Variety reported. The other new faces joining the popular technological thriller include Paapa Essiedu (The Lazarus Project), Josh Hartnett, Kate Mara (House of Cards), Danny Ramirez (Top Gun: Maverick), Clara Rugaard, Auden Thornton and Anjana Vasan. Since the casting is for the series’ first three episodes back, its understood that more actors will sign on for further episodes of the show.
Since the most recent fifth season aired, uncertainty clouded what would come next for the hit show, leaving fans questioning if the series was finished. Black Mirror Season 6 prevailed and the new season of the dystopian drama was announced to be back in the works in May. Specific details for the series’ return have been under wraps, but the new season will have more episodes than the previous one. Season 5 of Black Mirror – which was composed of only three installments – premiered back in June 2019, starring Andrew Scott, Anthony Mackie, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Topher Grace (That 70s Show) and Miley Cyrus.
The upcoming season is the first since creator Charlie Brooker and his creative partner Annabel Jones left their production company House of Tomorrow in January 2020, and set up shop under new production banner Broke and Bones. Netflix invested in the company soon after, through a mega deal worth up to $100 million. The future of the series briefly wavered due to rights for Black Mirror remaining with Endemol Shine, which backed House of Tomorrow. But Netflix eventually hammered out a deal which would allow Banijay Group – which acquired Endemol Shine back in 2018 – to license the show.
Best known as Van on FX’s Atlanta alongside Donald Glover and LaKeith Stanfield, Beetz also played the luck wielding mercenary Domino, who joins Ryan Reynold’s team of heroes in Deadpool 2. Unlike Beetz, this is not Breaking Bad star Paul’s first foray into the dark world of Black Mirror. The actor, known for appearing in other shows like Westworld and BoJack Horseman, made a one-minute cameo in the "USS Callister" episode of Season 4 of Black Mirror, voicing Gamer 691.
Ramirez was most recently seen in Top Gun: Maverick, and will next star in the movie Look Both Ways, while Danish actor Rugaard recently led the series The Rising. Essiedu comes to Black Mirror after starring in Gangs of London and The Lazarus Project. Hartnett appeared in the last year in Sky Atlantic’s The Fear Index and will also star in the Christopher Nolan’s movie Oppenheimer. Thornton also played Lucy Damon in This Is Us while Vasan broke out with Channel 4 and Peacock’s punk rock comedy We Are Lady Parts.
The first five seasons of Black Mirror are streaming now on Netflix.