James R | On 05, Nov 2022

HBO has cancelled Westworld after four seasons

Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy’s sci-fi thriller, based on the Michael Crichton movie from the 1970s, was all set to be the cable giant’s next Game of Thrones when it first premiered. Since that hit first season, it has grown from a post-modern Western into a dark odyssey about the dawn of artificial consciousness and the birth of a new form of life on Earth.

Now, though, after a fourth season that continued a trend of falling viewing figures, HBO has confirmed that the show will not return for another chapter, even though its creators had hoped to wrap things up in a fifth and final run.

The move comes as HBO has been making dramatic steps to cut spend, including the surprising move to remove its own titles – such as Vinyl and Mrs Fletcher – from the HBO Max streaming platform and even to can a whole Batwoman film. While HBO continues to spend on shows such as House of the Dragon, Euphoria and the upcoming The Last of Us adaptation, the company is being much more cautious about its investment elsewhere.

“Over the past four seasons, Lisa and Jonah have taken viewers on a mind-bending odyssey, raising the bar at every step,” HBO said in a statement. “We are tremendously grateful to them, along with their immensely talented cast, producers and crew, and all of our partners at Kilter Films, Bad Robot and Warner Bros. Television. It’s been a thrill to join them on this journey.”

Nolan and Joy added: “Making ‘Westworld’ has been one of the highlights of our careers. We are deeply grateful to our extraordinary cast and crew for creating these indelible characters and brilliant worlds. We’ve been privileged to tell these stories about the future of consciousness – both human and beyond – in the brief window of time before our AI overlords forbid us from doing so.”

Nolan and Joy’s new series, The Peripheral, recently debuted on Amazon Prime Video.

 

Trailer: Westworld returns for Season 4 this June

18th June 2022

“The more she sees it, but nobody else can. That there’s something wrong with the world. And that it’s her fault.” That’s the sound of Westworld returning for its fourth season, and a new trailer gives us a look at what’s to come.

Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy’s sci-fi thriller, based on the Michael Crichton movie from the 1970s, has grown from a post-modern Western into a dark odyssey about the dawn of artificial consciousness and the birth of a new form of life on Earth.

Season 4 will once again star Evan Rachel Wood, Thandiwe Newton, Ed Harris, Jeffrey Wright, Tessa Thompson, Luke Hemsworth, Aaron Paul, Angela Sarafyan and James Marsden, with additional cast including Ariana DeBose, Aurora Perrineau and Daniel Wu.

As for what they’ll all be doing, we know that Season 4 will step up the conflict between the sentient robots and the humans that created – and exploited them. With the new trailer offering a glimpse of what appears to be a 1930s-style gangster world, as well as new dynamics of control and power, all bets are off as evolution and revolution once again collide. But will the AI uprising transcend or destroy the human world? And is it possible for this story to have a happy ending for anyone?

We can find out when Season 4 premieres on 27th June, with each of the eight episodes simulcast weekly on Sky Atlantic and NOW, airing at 2pm and then immediately available on-demand.

Here’s the trailer:

 

HBO renews Westworld for Season 4

23rd April 2020

HBO has renewed Westworld for a fourth season.

The sci-fi thriller, based on the Michael Crichton movie from the 1970s, has grown from a post-modern Western into a dark odyssey about the dawn of artificial consciousness and the birth of a new form of life on Earth. The ambitious epic has already been positioned as the cable network’s replacement for Game of Thrones, so it is no surprise that it should be given the green light for a third run before it’s third has even finished.

Season 3 has seen many of its stars return, including Evan Rachel Wood as Dolores, Thandie Newton as Maeve, Ed Harris as the Man in Black, Jeffrey Wright as Bernard, Tessa Thompson as Charlotte, and Luke Hemsworth as Stubbs. Joining the cast were Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad), Vincent Cassel (Black Swan), Lena Waithe (Master of None), Scott Mescudi (Need for Speed), Marshawn Lynch, John Gallagher, Jr. (10 Cloverfield Lane), Michael Ealy (2 Fast 2 Furious) and Tommy Flanagan (Gladiator).

How long we will have to wait to see any of them back in action again is anybody’s guess – even without taking into account the coronavirus pandemic currently delaying productions, it was a two-year gap between Season 2 and 3.

“From the Western theme park to the technocratic metropolis of the near future, we’ve thoroughly enjoyed every twist and turn from the minds of master storytellers Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy,” HBO programming president Casey Bloys said in a statement. “We can’t wait to see where their inspired vision takes us next.”

THR reports that the renewal is part of Nolan and Joy’s payout following their nine-figure overall deal they signed with Amazon last year. The showrunners are tied to Amazon for new projects, but their deal included payment for continuing to serve as showrunners on Westworld for what is reported to be as many as six seasons.

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