The official cast for Black Mirror season 6 has been announced, and it includes several major stars. The British sci-fi anthology series was created by Charlie Brooker in 2011, with each of its episodes telling a story about the different ways that futuristic technology can cause horror and harm, reflecting several different paths that current society may take if people aren't careful. The program ran on the UK's Channel 4 for two series and a Christmas special, but the budget of the network wouldn't allow for future series without additional help. The show was eventually picked up by Netflix, who resurrected the show for three more seasons and the interactive special Bandersnatch. Black Mirror season 5 was released in 2019, so audiences have been hotly anticipating the return of the show for several years.
The show has always been a draw for interesting performers. Although the star power increased after the move to Netflix, which brought in performers like Bryce Dallas Howard, Miley Cyrus, Anthony Mackie, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II to lead episodes, even the Channel 4 series boasted an interesting set of established performers and rising stars. This included Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Whittaker in series 1 and Hayley Atwell and Domhnall Gleeson in series 2. The show pulled another casting coup by including Jon Hamm in the Christmas special.
Per Variety, the cast for Black Mirror season 6 has been officially announced, and it's perhaps the most star-studded season yet. This casting will cover only three episodes, so later announcements may add even more of an exciting sheen to the upcoming season. For now, however, the official list includes Zazie Beetz (Deadpool 2), Paapa Essiedu (I May Destroy You), Josh Hartnett (Lucky Number Slevin), Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad), Kate Mara (House of Cards), Danny Ramirez (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier), Clara Rugaard (Teen Spirit), Auden Thornton (This Is Us), and Anjana Vasan (Spider-Man: Far From Home).
Many of these performers have experience in the sci-fi and horror genres. Hartnett alone has covered the gamut, having appeared in the slasher sequel Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later, the alien invasion comedy The Faculty, and the period horror series Penny Dreadful. However, his co-stars have their fair share of genre knowledge, including Mara's stints on American Horror Story and Urban Legends: Bloody Mary, and Ramirez's roles in Tales of the Walking Dead and Hulu's No Exit.
One reason that Black Mirror is able to draw such major stars is the fact that it's an anthology series, and one episode is much less of a time commitment than a full season. One other benefit of this system is the fact that the story will be closed by the end of the episode without a cliffhanger, so anything can happen to the characters at the center. This will allow all these interesting actors the chance to really sink their teeth into their roles and push themselves to some interesting and wild places in the process.
Source: Variety