Black Mirror's creators have left Netflix, leaving the sci-fi anthology's future in question

Black Mirror might never be the same after season 7—the duo who created the hit Netflix series is stepping down from command of their production company.

On Wednesday, Deadline reported that Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones have split with the production company they founded, Broke & Bones, which is owned by Netflix. Brooker was Black Mirror's creator and writer and Jones was the executive producer.

Brooker and Jones co-created Black Mirror, which was first aired on Channel 4 in the UK beginning in 2011 and later acquired by Netflix in 2015. From season 3 onward, Black Mirror has been a Netflix exclusive. Until this week, so were its co-creators.

Netflix invested $100 million in Brooker and Jones's production company in 2020, which also locked the pair into a five-year deal where they exclusively worked for Netflix (meaning, no creating shows or movies for any other studio). January of 2020 was also when Brooker and Jones left their previous production company, House of Tomorrow, to start Broke & Bones. Now, it looks like Broke & Bones will have to carry on without Brooker and Jones.

The duo's departure marks a major turning point for Black Mirror. It's unclear why exactly Brooker and Jones left, but it could simply be that they wanted out of their exclusive deal with Netflix, which has reached the end of its initial five-year period. Or maybe after 14 years of Black Mirror, they just wanted to do something else.

Considering how popular Black Mirror is, it wouldn't be a surprise if Netflix pushes on with an eighth season, even without the show's creators. It's also not impossible for Brooker and Jones to continue working on the show in some capacity. Hopefully they return if Netflix renews Black Mirror, because the show simply wouldn't be the same without them.

However, it's likely a good thing for fans that Brooker and Jones are no longer locked in at Netflix since they're now free to pursue other projects wherever they want. That could lead to any number of new shows or movies like Black Mirror.

We may even see the duo contribute to existing hit shows. For instance, Brooker revealed back in April that he was approached about writing for Doctor Who once, but turned down the offer because he was "busy." Maybe things have changed now that his deal with Netflix is up.

Regardless, it will be exciting to see what Brooker and Jones work on next, although hopefully their departure doesn't lead to a lackluster future for Black Mirror.