HBO is on the verge of ushering in the dawn of artificial consciousness and the evolution of sin with Westworld, a serialized take on Michael Crichton’s original motion picture that veers into dark, unspeakable territory with today’s all-new trailer.
Chronicling the story of Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood), we watch as she rises ready to tackle the day until she catches herself staring longingly at her own reflection. Cue the sombre voiceover from Anthony Hopkins as wicked park owner Dr. Robert Ford and Dolores is on her knees, naked as her name day, and being interviewed about the misleading nature of dreams.
If Philip K. Dick posed the question ‘do androids dream of electric sheep?’, Westworld takes that notion of AI and nudges it toward full-blown horror territory, with today’s teaser culminating in a shot of disposed android bodies being cast aside deep within the bowels of Ford’s scientific facility.
Pegged for a premiere on October 2, it hasn’t been an easy journey for the creators behind Westworld, after HBO pumped the brakes on production earlier this year. However, despite claims that the freshman show was in trouble, the network used the temporary delay as a means of mapping out a coherent arc, with close to five seasons now tentatively planned through 2020.
Joining Rachel Wood and Hopkins for the sci-fi drama are Ed Harris, James Marsden, Thandie Newton, Jeffrey Wright and Creed breakout Tessa Thompson among many, many others. Look for Westworld to premiere via HBO come October 2.
Westworld is 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.
