Culture

Everything you need to know about HBO's next big show — 'Westworld'

James Grebey

2016-08-23T16:42:00Z

Westworld press photos — "Westworld" looks like it's gonna be great. John P. Johnson/HBO

It's still a long time until "Game of Thrones" comes back (though star Maisie Williams is already teasing that "sh-t gets REAL" in the next season), but HBO has another huge show coming up, and it looks like it's going to be wild.

The new series, "Westworld," is a mixture of cerebral, science fiction horror and western action and intrigue. It's set at some point in the future, where robotics and artificial intelligence have advanced to the point where they can be used for immersive entertainment. Westworld is, for lack of a better word, a theme park. Visitors to Westworld can experience the wild west, in an automatic, authentic, but ultimately safe setting.

Until there's a glitch in the system and something goes very wrong.

HBO recently released 20 images from the series, debuting October 2. Though we're still a while away, here's everything you need to know about the, uh, world of "Westworld," and a couple of the key players.

The series is based on a cult classic movie from the '70s that was written and directed by Michael Crichton, the author of "Jurassic Park" and "The Andromeda Strain," so it has a pretty solid pedigree.

The HBO series was created by Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan's brother, and boasts J.J. Abrams as an executive producer.

The way Westworld is supposed to work is like this: Guests experience the wild west thanks to a realistic setting and lifelike robots — known as "hosts" — that are programmed to give them a realistic experience where ~they~ are the star.

Dolores Abernathy (Evan Rachel Wood) is one such host. In the artificial world of Westword, she's a rancher’s daughter with an idyllic life, but as things go wrong, she begins to realize that her entire existence is a lie.

James Marsden of "X-Men" fame plays Teddy Flood, who's character is a new arrival to Westword's frontier town.

He's charming, and looks like he'll be one of the main characters in the show along.

Another major host is Maeve Millay (Thandie Newton), a beautiful and smart madam with "a genius for reading people and a knack for survival."

Hosts in Westworld have entire simulated lives — but do they matter?

Hector Escaton (Rodrigo Santoro) is Westworld’s “most wanted.” This bandit host embraces his role as a "predator," and looks to be a dangerous player out for himself.

Something tells us that these hosts maybe don't love the control that their creators have over them and all of Westworld.

Clementine Pennyfeather (Angela Sarafyan), was designed to be beautiful and intriguing, and is therefore "one of Westworld’s most popular attractions." So, yeah, guests can sleep with robots.

Armistice (Ingrid Bolsø Berdal) is a tough and ruthless bandit in league with a host of other bandit hosts harassing Westword.

Not much is known about Ed Harris' character, the Man in Black, other than he's pretty much pure evil and coldly terrifying by design. One can only imagine what happens if he goes off-script.

Anthony Hopkins plays Dr. Robert Ford, the founder, creative director, and chief programmer of Westworld. He's described as brilliant but stern, with an "uncompromising creative vision for the park."

Jeffrey Wright, who you may remember from the later "Hunger Games" movies, plays Bernard Lowe, the head of Westword's Programming division.

Dr. Ford and Lowe will be challenged when their creations run amok.

Sidse Babett Knudsen plays Theresa Cullen, and as Westworld’s head of Quality Assurance, it's her job to make sure that nothing goes wrong in the park. Based on the trailer, it would seem that she failed — big time.

Elsie Hughes (Shannon Woodward) works in the Behavior Department looking for potential problems or troubling quirks among the hosts.

Lee Sizemore (Simon Quarterman) is the head of Narrative at Westworld. He's in charge of creating the storylines that guests experience while they're in the park. He's also a bit of an ass.

Ben Barnes plays Logan, a longtime customer who really embraces hedonism when he's a guest at Westworld.

Jimmi Simpson's William, meanwhile, is a first-time guest at Westworld. He may have chosen a bad time to make his first visit.

"Westworld" is set to premiere on Sunday, October 2 at 9 p.m. EST.

You can check the trailer out below:

HBO