Black Mirror returned to our TV screens last night for a new series, but it seems likely that one particular story from the dark Channel 4 drama will end up on a much bigger screen following the news that Hollywood star Robert Downey Jr has bought the movie rights.


A Channel 4 spokesperson called the news “amazing” and said Downey Jr had beaten fellow A-lister George Clooney to the rights.

“Robert had a tussle with George Clooney but he’s got the option to make it into a film,” they said.

The episode that Downey Jr and Clooney have been battling over is The Entire History of You, which rounded out the first series of Black Mirror in December 2011.

It told the tale of a man who had a ‘grain’ implanted behind his ear, which recorded all his life experiences. When he began to suspect that his wife was having an affair, he used the technology to constantly reply events from their life, searching for evidence of infidelity until the relationship fell apart.

But the film version will depart somewhat from the Black Mirror episode. It’ll take place in the near-future and feature similar recording technology to the original, but this time the story will centre on a man who replays his relationship with his dead wife, from her point of view, and unwittingly stumbles upon a vast conspiracy.

At this point, Downey Jr isn’t slated to star in the film and will instead act as its producer.

Peep Show screenwriter Jesse Armstrong, who wrote the original Black Mirror episode, will pen the script for Downey Jr’s adaptation.


Discussing the job on Twitter, Armstrong thanked fans for their messages of support and said: “Cheers. Now, to write it …”