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Netflix’s next interactive show is called You vs. Wild, launches April 10th

Netflix’s next interactive show is called You vs. Wild, launches April 10th

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The follow-up to Black Mirror: Bandersnatch puts viewers in the shoes of Bear Grylls

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Netflix has announced its next big interactive story — a choose-your-adventure TV series called You vs. Wild (emphasis on the “adventure” part, here), starring Bear Grylls, the survival TV personality best known for his Discovery Channel series Man vs. Wild, via Variety.

The eight-episode show was announced at Netflix’s press event in Los Angeles and will let viewers follow along with Grylls on adventures around the world as he tries to survive the great outdoors. The twist is that viewers will be able to choose Grylls’ decisions in each episode and see how they play out (presumably in a safe manner that doesn’t involve Grylls failing to survive in the wilderness should users choose poorly). Asked jokingly whether viewers could make choices that would kill Bear Grylls, Netflix Vice President of Original Series Cindy Holland laughed and said she doesn’t expect You Vs. Wild to be as “dark” as Netflix’s previous interactive project, Black Mirror: Bandersnatch.

Step into the shoes of Bear Grylls

You vs. Wild marks the second interactive live-action project from Netflix, following Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, which took the internet by storm last winter. Netflix had also previous dabbled with interactive shows with animated series like Puss in Book: Trapped in an Epic Tale and a Minecraft show with Telltale Games, but these live-action endeavors represent much bigger, more expensive, and higher-profile projects for the company.

And given that Netflix product VP Todd Yellin commented last week that the company was “doubling down” on interactive storytelling, odds are that You vs. Wild will only mark the beginning of the company’s interactive media ambitions.

Update March 18th, 2:55pm: Added additional comments from Netflix VP Cindy Holland.