Last night, HBO viewers who tuned into the season finale of True Detective got a sneak peek at a new series coming to the premium cable network: Westworld.
The 30-second teaser trailer shown for the series, slated for 2016, shows a story that mixes elements of the Wild West with science fiction, true to its inspiration: a 1973 film of the same name, directed and written by sci-fi novelist Michael Crichton (who also wrote Jurassic Park).
HBO describes Westworld as "a dark odyssey about the dawn of artificial consciousness and the future of sin." The Michael Crichton film told the story of an amusement part where adults could visit virtual versions of the Wild West, a Medieval setting and early Pompei. Populating those worlds are androids, who turn into killers after a power surge.
The short teaser by HBO for the new series doesn't give much to go on, but in it, we see Evan Rachel Wood being questioned about what she perceives as her reality. Is she one of the androids? Or is she a human trapped in this virtual world that suddenly seems real? It's not evident here, but it's likely HBO will release more details in the near future.
Whatever the story, though, one thing is clear: HBO plans on going for the creepy factor with this series.
It's likely that the HBO series will put some focus on the virtual world's artificial intelligence and its androids, which is a hot topic now, especially with the success of the film Ex Machina and AMC's television series Humans.
Westworld features an all-star cast, including Anthony Hopkins, Ed Harris, James Marsden, Thandie Newton, Mirando Otto and Jeffrey Wright. Westworld is a project from J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot, with Jonathan Nolan (director Christopher Nolan's brother) as executive producer, as well as the series' writer and director, along with Lisa Nolan.
Photo credit: HBO
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