In 2013, Robert Downey, Jr. bought the rights to the Black Mirror season 1 episode, "The Entire History of You." His team intended to adapt the critically-acclaimed episode of the horror anthology series into a film starring Downey. Years have passed, and there hasn't been much update on the status of the movie — what's going on?
"The Entire History of You" was an early standout episode for Black Mirror, which is why it caught the attention of Downey and his team. The episode is set in a universe where most people are implanted with a chip that records everything they see. "The Entire History of You" specifically tells the story of how the grain implant ruins the life of a man named Liam. It's a stark commentary on the dangers of not being emotionally present with one's friends and family.
After years of remaining stagnant, it looks as if Downey's movie adaptation of the Black Mirror episode will never come to fruition. But in a dark sense of irony, that may be for the best. Here's a look at what's going on with the film adaptation of "The Entire History of You."
In 2018, SyFy Wire provided an update on the status of the Black Mirror adaptation. Writer Jesse Armstrong shared the news — Downey's movie is stuck in development hell. That means that it's been treading water for years. While Downey's company has appeared to have lost interest, Armstrong was still interested in making it happen. In fact, Armstrong even put out a plea during the interview for any interested parties to reach out. In 2018, he was determined as ever to make his vision of "The Entire History of You", turning an interview into an advertisement for the lapsed rights to the Black Mirror episode. There hasn't been any major update on the project since this interview with Armstrong was published.
It's a bit of cruel poetry that Downey lost interest in bringing Black Mirror to the big screen. The horror anthology series focuses on the ways that technology will bring down society. People have lost interest in human connection and care more about whatever is trending. It seems like that's what happened to this adaptation — Downey's company simply lost interest and decided to move onto other projects. However, this direction may ultimately be for the best. Black Mirror works better as smaller and more contained stories. This is likely reflective of its message on people's dwindling attention spans. Attempting to expand the story told in "The Entire History of You" would risk diluting the story's message. The Black Mirror episode is better left as it is.