Black Mirror Episode Impressed RDJ So Much, He Wanted to Make a Movie Out of It

Twelve years ago, long before Black Mirror was a Netflix series that featured a new cast of A-listers every week, it was simply a well-crafted show on Britain's Channel 4. It was created by Charlie Brooker and would eventually become the phenomenon it is today.

At the end of Season 1, early fans got a taste of what was to come with the iconic episode The Entire History of You. Among those fans was the most popular actor of the early 2010s: Avengers star Robert Downey Jr.

The Entire History of You, like all of Black Mirror, told the terrifying story of what can go wrong with advanced technology. Liam, played by Toby Kebbell, uses the memory chip implanted in his (and everyone else's) brain to find out if his wife is cheating on him. In the process, he loses his marriage, his child - everything.

The episode was written by Jesse Armstrong, the only episode not credited to Booker. Armstrong was best known for British comedy, but Brooker's gamble paid off. The Entire History of You was one of the show's highest-rated episodes.

And the gamble paid off handsomely for Armstrong as well. Now best known as the creator of the hit show Succession, he still holds the rights to the Black Mirror episode and has publicly stated that adapting The Entire History of You for the big screen is his goal.

Reportedly, instead of a direct remake, he wanted the movie to revolve around a husband who uses the memory implant to relive memories of his late wife, only to discover a secret that ruins him.

Brooker approached Hollywood studios in 2012, a few months after the episode was released. A bidding war ensued, highlighted by two of the country's biggest actors-turned-producers: RDJ and George Clooney.

Clooney had several producing credits under his belt, and was about to win his first Best Picture Award for Argo at the 2013 Oscars. While Downey has had success off-screen in the past decade, his only producer role to date was on a low-budget film in 2006. Despite this, Downey, through his production company Team Downey, acquired the rights to the film in February 2013.

Ten years later, nothing has come of it.

Armstrong last spoke publicly about the potential movie in 2018, simply confirming that he still wanted to do it. That was the same year he started Succession, leaving little time for more work.

The Entire History of You adaptation is currently labeled "In Development," which is a nice way of saying it's in limbo.

After Succession, Armstrong is more industrious than ever. Downey has several projects in the works, showing a desire to lean toward the production side in the second half of his career. It seems like it's only a matter of time before The Entire History of You makes its way to theaters.