The season finale of "Westworld" has set up the impending war between hosts and humans. Before his bloody exit, Ford revealed that he has spent the past 35 years to help prepare the hosts to be able to fight back against humans, and then an army of reactivated hosts appeared. Here's what we know so far about the upcoming "Westworld" season 2:
Theme And Plot
In a "Westworld" segment after the finale called "The Big Moment," the showrunners gave a hint of what season 2 will be all about. "If the first season was defined by control, the second season is defined by chaos, that's what Ford has been planning all along," said Jonathan Nolan, who wrote and directed the season finale.
Aside from the human vs hosts war, the second season will explore more about the nature of hosts. In a previous interview with Entertainment Weekly, Nolan said "Westworld" season 2 will feature how the hosts were created. "There are advantages and disadvantages to being a host. Season 2 we'll be exploring more the nuts and bolts of what they are," he said.
Meanwhile, Jeffrey Wright revealed in the segment about the empathy of the hosts that will be discovered in the upcoming season. "The creators are less human than the creations," he said. He further explained that Ford's intention of setting the hosts free might be to give humans a lesson. It was also revealed before that hosts are more biological than robotic.
Returning Cast Members
Jimmi Simpson who plays the role of William hasn't spilled the beans if he would be returning to the show, but his older counterpart Ed Harris (Man in Black) confirmed he will be included in "Westworld" season 2.
"I was just talking to Jonah Nolan last night, who's a creator of this thing with his wife Lisa Joy, and yeah, they're doing another season," Harris said in a radio interview. "They're going to do 10 more episodes, and I will be involved."
It wasn't revealed what kind of involvement Harris will have for the next season but it is definitely not the last time we will see the Man in Black after his supposed death in the park. On the other hand, Rachel Wood who plays the role of Dolores Abernathy, the oldest host who was still working in the park, also said she will be part of the season 2. Other cast members that might be returning based on the season finale are Thandie Newton as Maeve, James Marsden as Teddy, and Wright as Bernard/Arnold.
"Westworld" Season 2 Release Date
With its high viewer ratings, "Westworld" had confirmed renewal as early as November. The sci-fi series has averaged 11.7 million viewers across all of the network's platforms. According to Simpson, "Westworld" season 2 probably won't start shooting until June or July 2017 so it will definitely be a long wait.
Meanwhile, HBO programming president Casey Bloys revealed that "Westworld" season 2 might air sometime in 2018. "My suspicion is sometime in 2018 because of how big the world is and what goes into shooting it," he said. The estimated timeline includes furnishing the plot and writing the scripts of the next installment.
