We’ve known for a while that HBO’s upcoming tv series remake of Westworld is going to differ from the 1973 Michael Crichton film on which it’s based, but the full length trailer that debuted tonight makes those differences explicit. This time out, the problem facing guests of high priced theme park Delos isn’t just a virus causing the androids to spin out of control: it’s that the Androids have gained awareness of their situation, and aren’t remotely happy about it. See what I mean for yourself above.
It’s still Westworld, but with a dash of The Thirteenth Floor and The Matrix thown in, as Ed Harris’ gunslinger – the character originated by Yul Brynner in the original film – appears not just the dangerous personification of the park’s systems going of control (and roosters coming home to roost, as it were), but as a self-styled savior come to free his fellow androids from bondage. That elevates the stakes considerably, and lives up to the series’ ambitious examination of human depravity beyond mere amoral hubris.
The new series is created by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy and stars Anthony Hopkins, Ed Harris, Evan Rachel Wood, James Marsden, Thandie Newton, Jeffrey Wright, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Rodrigo Santoro, Shannon Woodward, Steven Ogg, Ingrid Bolsø Berdal, Ben Barnes, Jimmi Simpson, Clifton Collins Jr., Simon Quarterman, Angela Sarafyan, and Tessa Thompson. It’s set to debut this fall on HBO.