The "Black Mirror" project was a culmination of nearly two years of work and allows users to choose various options that significantly affect their viewing experience. Each of the story's five main endings can play out in multiple ways, and, depending on the choices made, a viewing experience can take anywhere from around 50 to 90 minutes.
But when the streaming service approached "Black Mirror" writer and creator Charlie Booker, he wasn't originally sold on the idea.
"Netflix asked us if wed be interested in doing an interactive story ever. My initial thought was, No. I dont want to do that,'" said Brooker in INSIDER's exclusive behind-the-scenes look at how "Bandersnatch" came together.
The "Black Mirror" creator and producers wanted to make sure the interactive element didn't feel like a gimmick. It needed to add something extra and make sense in the world of the show. If you've ever watched "Black Mirror," many episodes of the series takes a look at the effects of a different piece of technology on the world for better, or usually, worse.
Eventually, Brooker who changed his mind.
"Annoyingly, I had an idea that fit," Brooker said and started making a flowchart of the many possible outcomes and avenues the story could take.
The film isn't Netflix's first foray into interactive TV. The company previously released several interactive kids' specials to see if the concept could work before moving onto an adult project.
"Bandersnatch" wound up becoming a much more expansive undertaking than Brooker may have thought as he constantly added more details to the story. In a release, Netflix said there are more than a trillion unique variations of the film a viewer can experience.
According to Wired , Netflix created a tool called Branch Manager, which may make it easier for future filmmakers and creators to write interactive stories for the streaming service.
You can learn more about what went into the creation of "Bandersnatch" in the video below. "Bandersnatch" is currently available to watch on Netflix here .
