HBO has certainly been stumbling in 2016, from the launch, renewal, and swift cancellation of Vinyl to the divisive finale of The Night Of, which began with an incredible opener and failed to match that quality throughout the rest of its first season. But hopes are high for Westworld. The sci-fi Western series has been one of the most promising projects in development at the pay cable network for some time, and it’s finally ready to launch this October. As such, HBO has unveiled a brand new poster for the series that is creepy as all get-out.
The show is inspired by the 1973 feature film of the same name, which was directed by Jurassic Park author Michael Crichton. In this iteration of the story, Anthony Hopkins runs a massive real-world “theme park” in which humans can exist in the world of the Wild West and interact with its humanoid inhabitants in a variety of ways, from sexual intercourse to murder. The idea is that this free-wheeling attitude is totally fine, since the humanoids are just robots that look like humans, not actual humans. But when these androids start to become conscious of their true purpose, trouble begins brewing and the dangers of A.I. become all too real.
Not only is that a promising premise, but the behind-the-scenes team is top-notch. Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy serve as showrunners, while J.J. Abrams is onboard as an executive producer. And while things seemed like they might have been going south when production on the series was halted in order to fine-tune the scripts and storylines, the most recent trailer for the series was our most promising look yet. So yeah, HBO may be in a bit of a rough patch, but there’s every reason to believe that Westworld could be the network’s next Game of Thrones-sized hit.
Check out the poster below, and for a more in-depth rundown of what Westworld is all about, check out this piece by our own Haleigh Foutch. The series also stars Evan Rachel Wood, Ed Harris, 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. Westworld debuts on HBO on October 2nd.
