The success of Game of Thrones (and True Blood, to a lesser extent) has encouraged HBO to continue making ambitious programming in the science fiction and fantasy realm.
With Westworld, the network looks to be making a push into harder sci-fi that explores the psychology of its characters and maybe challenges the nature of reality, especially as it deals with artificial intelligence. The series is a remake of the 1973 sci-fi western written and directed by Michael Crichton, depicting a futuristic theme park in which androids malfunction and begin killing people.
But as the teaser HBO released on Sunday demonstrates, this version of Westworld appears to be following the point of view of the androids, at least one of whom (played by Evan Rachel Wood) may have believed she was a real person before that reality begins to fall apart. Give it a look.
This is very much a teaser, of course, with quick flashes of scenes meant to entice the viewer and pique curiosity. Besides Wood’s blank look as an automaton that’s been powered down, we also see the endoskeleton of an android as well as what appears to be the production process of these artificial beings. And the preview also includes many shots of a Western setting with cowboys, a saloon and desert landscapes.
Above all, this teaser shows the star power that the series will boast, featuring Thandie Newton, James Marsden, Jeffrey Wright and Anthony Hopkins. And the unseen voice presumably belongs to Ed Harris, who’s part of the loaded cast. Westworld also has some star power behind the camera, with J.J. Abrams and Jonathan Nolan (The Dark Knight, Person of Interest) listed as executive producers. Nolan, also a co-creator of the series, is a writer on the show and directed the pilot.
No exact date has been released for Westworld, but the teaser says it will premiere on HBO in 2016.
