Netflix's 'Black Mirror' season 5 was delayed because 'Bandersnatch' took so long to make, but it's still coming in 2019

Netflix

"Black Mirror: Bandersnatch"

• "Black Mirror: Bandersnatch" producer Annabel Jones confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that "Black Mirror" season five was delayed because the interactive movie took so long to make.
• Netflix confirmed to Business Insider that season five is coming in 2019.

Last week, Netflix gave fans what they've come to expect in late December: more "Black Mirror." But it wasn't a new season of the sci-fi anthology series. Instead, it was the first "Black Mirror" standalone movie - with a few twists.

"Black Mirror: Bandersnatch" is an interactive film with at least five different endings and a trillion different permutations. It was two years in the making, and that creative complexity is why Netflix still hasn't released a fifth season of the show.

Complimentary Tech Event

Transform talent with learning that works

Capability development is critical for businesses who want to push the envelope of innovation.Discover how business leaders are strategizing around building talent capabilities and empowering employee transformation.Know More

READ MORE: All 19 episodes of 'Black Mirror,' ranked from worst to best

Producer Annabel Jones confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that the "enormous" amount of time it took to create "Bandersnatch" is why "Black Mirror" season five was delayed.

Since Netflix acquired "Black Mirror," which originated on the UK's Channel 4, in 2015, it has released season three in October 2016, season four in December 2017, and "Bandersnatch" last week (the first two seasons are also streaming).

However, Netflix confirmed to Business Insider last week that the fifth season is expected to arrive in 2019, we just don't know when.

"While Bandersnatch is a standalone film, it is not the sole film in Season 5," a Netflix representative said. "Season 5 will still return in 2019."

"Bandersnatch" has received mixed reviews from critics and has a 71% Rotten Tomatoes critic score.

Slate's Willa Paskin called it "perfect" for Netflix and Indiewire's Liz Shannon Miller wrote that it is "a hard-to-define, but impossible to forget, experience."

Others didn't praise "Bandersnatch." Brian Tallerico wrote for RogerEbert.com that he'd rather see another season of "Black Mirror" than another interactive movie.

CNN's Brian Lowry said that "Bandersnatch" "proves to be more of an interesting experiment than a creatively successful one."