It is the tip of the road for Westworld: the fourth season of the present that aired earlier this yr would be the final one, with HBO asserting that the collection has been cancelled forward of an anticipated fifth and ultimate season.
The information comes by way of The Hollywood Reporter and other outlets, with a press release from HBO praising the crew behind the collection, beginning with the husband-and-wife duo of Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Pleasure who created the present.
“Over the previous 4 seasons, Lisa and Jonah have taken viewers on a mind-bending odyssey, elevating the bar at each step,” the assertion reads. “We’re tremendously grateful to them, together with their immensely gifted solid, producers and crew, and all of our companions at Kilter Movies, Unhealthy Robotic and Warner Bros. Tv. It has been a thrill to hitch them on this journey.”
Nolan and Pleasure had beforehand gone on the document as eager to have the chance to wrap up unfastened ends and to deliver the collection to a particular conclusion. Season 4 ended somewhat ambiguously – which was in no way uncommon for Westworld.
“Making Westworld has been one of many highlights of our careers,” stated Nolan and Pleasure in their very own assertion. “We’re deeply grateful to our extraordinary solid crew for creating these indelible characters and sensible worlds. We have been privileged to inform these tales about the way forward for consciousness – each human and past – within the temporary window of time earlier than our AI overlords forbid us from doing so.”
The Westworld story
Taking most of its inspiration from the 1973 movie of the identical identity, Westworld was initially set in a futuristic theme park populated by AI-controlled robots. Designed to look one thing just like the American Previous West, the park gave its human guests the chance to stay out function performs and fantasies.
As you would possibly anticipate, issues quickly began going mistaken in the park. The 4 seasons that the present ran for took viewers on a journey via the concepts of free will, consciousness, synthetic intelligence, morality and technological development. The scope of the present expanded to different theme parks and ultimately actual world settings.
It attracted a fair proportion of star energy too: Evan Rachel Wooden, Thandiwe Newton, Tessa Thompson, Aaron Paul, Jeffrey Wright, Ed Harris, Anthony Hopkins, James Marsden and Jimmi Simpson had been a few of the actors that confirmed display screen. The collection earned 54 Emmy nominations and 9 wins all through the course of its run.
Ultimately although, it appears it could not preserve sufficient viewers for HBO to maintain it going. Robust viewing figures throughout season one declined season after season, with some critics complaining that the varied ins and outs of the present – involving jumps in time, reminiscence and actuality – had been too tough to maintain up with.
Finally, HBO did not present a cause for why Westworld has been canned, whether or not due to funds cuts or viewing figures or anything – nevertheless it’s clear that the collection ended up as not fairly the drive it was in the beginning.