Turns out whatever shaky ground we may have thought HBO’s Westworld was under could prove false worries. The series looks to be near completion and with that arrives the very first, full trailer for the series.
Check out the trailer:
After seeing the trailer, one thing is for sure: Forget what you know about Westworld. This ain’t your 1973 version anymore. The show that will explore artificial intelligence and consciousness, in a future where an elaborate amusement park is brought to life by sophisticated androids, released it’s first trailer last night. Premiering the 96-second trailer just before Game Of Thrones penultimate episode, and arguably its most anticipated to date was a smart move by HBO’s marketing team.
HBO was long considered the prestige network for intelligent, thought-provoking and incredibly satisfactory programming. But that was prior to recent revelations; including many top execs leaving the network, as well as dwindling viewership for big-deal shows like the $100 million dollar series Vinyl, and the sophmore failure of a once-promising True Detective series. Not to mention delayed or abandoned projects from David Fincher and Steve McQueen, coupled with the up-rise of Amazon and Netflix – all of these things really strained the network as of late. Their continual, and arguably only, runaway hit at this time is the ever-increasing phenomenon, Game Of Thrones.
With Game Of Thrones on its way out, HBO needs another event-style series. Something people will want to tune into every Sunday. Utilizing the basis of what author/director Michael Crichton founded in his original 1973 film is a great springboard for challenging and entertaining sci-fi. T he original Westworld film was actually a hit when it was released, and its influence reaches far beyond just being an early exercise before Crichton went on to write Jurassic Park. John Carpenter has said that the relentless Gunslinger inspired him to create Halloween’s Michael Myers, one of cinema’s most iconic horror figures. Will Ed Harris do the same?
The series has been described as “a dark odyssey about the dawn of artificial consciousness and the evolution of sin. Set at the intersection of the near future and the reimagined past, it explores a world in which every human appetite, no matter how noble or depraved, can be indulged.” Jonathan Nolan co-created the show with Lisa Joy, and is executive producing, writing and directing. Nolan created Person of Interest and worked with his brother Christopher Nolan on The Dark Knight movies and Interstellar; also, his short story provided the basis for brother Christopher’s Memento.
Westworld also features an amazingly eclectic and impressive cast, including Anthony Hopkins, Ed Harris, Evan Rachel Wood, James Marsden, Thandie Newton, Jeffrey Wright, Tessa Thompson, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Jimmi Simpson, Rodrigo Santoro, Shannon Woodward, Ingrid Bolsø Berdal, Ben Barnes, Simon Quarterman, Angela Sarafyan, Luke Hemsworth and Clifton Collins, Jr.
An exact release date has still not been disclosed but HBO has promised before the end of this year…Probably looking at a November-December premiere.
Images: HBO, MGM
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