Things in the real world are getting pretty scary, huh? It's time for Charlie Brooker to give us his interpretation of it all, we think. If you, like us, have missed your favorite dose of humbling political black comedy, there's no need to worry. Black Mirror season 7 premieres soon!
Netflix revealed that the show will be back Thursday, April 10, 2025 with quite a number of familiar faces. The full trailer dropped, and fans are pretty excited. Especially because of the chance to get a glimpse of most of the huge list of cast in their respective roles. There are confirmed to be six episodes, each with a different blend of genres.
As ever with Black Mirror, Brooker tells TUDUM that the episodes are a mixture of lengths and tones. Viewers can always expect to be scared for their lives in one episode, while crying their eyes out the following episode. Check out what we're talking about in the trailer below!
Unpacking the Black Mirror season 7 trailer
Couldn't quite figure out what was going on in all that noise? We get it, so we got you. Visible right away is Cristin Millioti (How I met Your Mother, The Falcone), in a return to a confirmed sequel episode to season 4's fan-favorite USSR Callister episode. In fact, two Cristin Milliotis are visible at one point. We can't wait to discover that one.
Old time fans of the show will no doubt be excited to return to the world of USSR Callister, without Captain Daly this time, thankfully. Millioti will be reprising her role as Nanette, and hopefully helming both Callister the ship and the company! We'll have to see if Nanette gets the promotion inside and outside of the game. And of course, we get to find out their fate (unless USSR Callister 3 is on the way). Some fans are feeling pessimistic about the futures of the crew.
Rashida Jones (Parks & Recreation, Sunny), sits next to Chris O'Dowd in what appears to be an episode involving a schoolteacher promoting products to children. Tracee Ellis Ross (Black-ish, Girlfriends) is seen talking to Chris O'Dowd, so he will be a part of this episode. We're excited to see what goes down.
Next up in the trailer is Awkwafina (Shang-Chi) making a relatively rare appearance on television, who appears to be collaborating with Issa Rae (Insecure, American Fiction) on a new device that can be attached to the head, the design of which is a little reminiscent of the season 1 episode, "The Idea of You." Though this may be as far as the similarities go. Issa Rae's character finds herself in some procedurally generated alternate universe as a result of it.
Emma Corrin (The Crown) appears, in what appears to be a romantic noir episode - we see it in similarity to "San Junipero," the beloved (slightly) historical sapphic episode from season 3. The style is both new and retro for Black Mirror, so we have high hopes here.
In this midst of all this is Peter Capaldi (Doctor Who, The Thick of It), who's sporting a long wig and a stern face. As he talks, it becomes apparent that he's summarizing the themes of the season, with its mysticality and psychological depth. Capaldi is likely to be featured in an episode that fans will be excited about for other reasons: the return of Bandersnatch.
There have long been rumors that Black Mirror was eyeing a return to the world of Bandersnatch, the interactive special feature-length episode starring Fionn Whitehead, Asim Chaudhry, Will Poulter and more. These rumors appear confirmed by a few shots in the trailer, but mainly by the appearance of Will Poulter as the quirky and iconic techie Colin Ritman, suggesting that this episode could be a follow-on, and is at least adjacent to the Bandersnatch world. We're so ready!
Paul Giamatti's staring in and out of space a lot in this trailer, his eyes filling with an unusual shade of blue. At one point, someone asks him, "You'd have heard her?" which sounds like he's using a futuristic method of dissosiating entirely. One clip seems to suggest he is jumping into pictures, which is an interesting concept and will make a great episode.
And, finally, Siena Kelly (Adult Material) seems to have developed an interesting rivalry with a coworker, judging by the stares, Facebook stalking, and uh... is that blood running down her face? Yeah, we're not too sure about all that, but it's giving us major "Nosedive" vibes (season 3 episode 1).
But that's not all! Alongside the already confirmed cast, Netflix announced new cast members Michele Austin, Ben Bailey Smith, Chaudhry, Josh Finan, James Nelson-Joyce, Poulter, Jay Simpson, and Michael Workéyè.
First-look images
For more clues, let's take a look at some of the promotional images Netflix has released ahead of time. This is a slightly comical look from Capaldi, much akin to the stereotype of the grandpa who keeps spouting conspiracy theories - though, his clothes suggest he doesn't take care of himself much. In the trailer he gives a speech that really only evil geniuses ever give in these shows, so maybe Capaldi is playing an unsuspecting old man, until suddenly he's not. Either way, this image is hilarious and we love Capaldi.
Our first major look at Emma Corrin is found here. They look extremely well-cast in the familiar period costumes we're used to seeing them in via The Crown. Corrin spoke to Empire about the episode, saying, "I was trying to get the very specific sort of rigidity that these [1940s] actresses had". We're excited to see how Corrin and Rae bounce off each other as scene partners, and what kind of magic can be created in the noir setting!
Paul Giamatti's character looks out of place in this image. It's not just the fact that everybody around him is thirty or so years younger than him. It looks as though he is experiencing a different moment in and of itself - it looks as though his joy runs deeper than the surface level club excitement. If this episode proves to be an examination of nostalgia, aging and youth, we welcome it with open arms. If not, we'll probably still have fun.
The season looks to be continuing to follow the ideas laid out in its past - how technology can make or break our interpersonal lives. But we think Brooker has started to go into the AI element even more. Exciting times!
Black Mirror season 7 premieres Thursday, April 10, 2025 on Netflix.