(L to R) Evan Rachel Wood and James Marsden in HBO’s ‘Westworld.’
‘Westworld’, which for four seasons has been delighting (and more often confounding) viewers with its complex, twisty storytelling and changing characters since it debuted in 2016, has been cancelled at HBO.
Based on the 1973 film by Michael Crichton (who would go on to employ a similar idea of attractions causing trouble in his novel ‘Jurassic Park’), ‘Westworld’ –– initially, at least –– told the story of a sprawling Western-themed park where humans could interact with complicated artificial people. And by interact, it usually meant either sleep with or kill.
As the show went on, the canvas expanded to include different zones within the park with their own themes and the futuristic world outside of it, as the “hosts” –– the park’s creations –– broke out of their programming (and their restrictions) and began to plot a takeover of the human sphere.
The show was created by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, with J.J. Abrams among its executive producers via his Bad Robot company. The cast included Evan Rachel Wood, Thandiwe Newton, Ed Harris, Jeffrey Wright, Tessa Thompson, Luke Hemsworth, Aaron Paul, Angela Sarafyan and James Marsden.
An initial success –– its premiere drew the channel’s highest viewership since the debut of “True Detective” in 2014, it was initially buzzy, but its appeal began to wane slightly in later years, most notably after a big break in episodes due to the pandemic.
Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Robert Ford in HBO’s ‘Westworld.’
Though HBO offered no official reason for the cancellation, there is already talk that it’s a combination of declining ratings (even without need of advertising revenue), with a precipitous drop between Seasons 3 and 4, and the hefty price tag for the show.
An effects heavy head-scratcher, it featured expansive visuals of futuristic cities, a big cast and lots of artificial beings to bring to life.
It’s no secret that HBO parent company Warner Bros. Discovery has been on a cost-cutting run of late, and while it still has big productions upcoming (such as ‘The Last of Us’), it has clearly decided that ‘Westworld’ was no longer worth producing.
“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.”
“Making ‘Westworld’ has been one of the highlights of our careers,” Nolan and Joy have remarked. “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.”
No shade there, then. Nolan and Joy, meanwhile are still at work on visions of the future –– they have a deal at Amazon, where they’re currently producing ‘The Peripheral’ and developing other projects.
Ed Harris as The Man in Black in HBO’s ‘Westworld.’
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