HBO's WESTWORLD Showrunner Explains Reasons For Setback
There are two primary reasons why there has been a lot written about HBO's ambitious sci-fi western TV adaptation of Michael Crichton's Westworld. First, it has a terrific cast, talented filmmakers behind the camera, and a great premise. And second, it unexpectedly shut down production, and when that happens on a project that's this high-profile, it always raises some questions and draws media attention.
But showrunner/co-creator Jonathan Nolan (Person of Interest, The Dark Knight) isn't worried. In a new interview with io9, he says that there was "no recalibration required" and explains the reason for the delay was simply to give him and co-creator Lisa Joy more time to be able to write the scripts for the episodes:
“Nothing that I have done prepared me for the sheer avalanche [of production requirements]. The truth is, what we’re doing there is a 10-hour movie. It’s not really a TV series. When they say ‘It’s not TV, it’s HBO,’ they’re really not kidding.
We’re doing a period Western, and a science fiction [movie]. Basically, we’re shooting Alien, Days of Heaven and Unforgiven simultaneously, and then cutting them all together...It’s just a massive, massive undertaking.”
But my favorite part of the interview is how he bashes the incorrect stories he's read about the show in the press:
“I’ve read a lot of bullshit about this show,” said Nolan. “I’ve read more fucking nonsense about this project than anything I’ve ever been involved in—which is kind of amazing, given how much nonsense I read about the Batman movies.”
I can't wait until this show actually hits the air and we can judge it on its own merits. Westworld stars Anthony Hopkins, Ed Harris, Thandie Newton, Evan Rachel Wood, James Marsden, and more, but the show doesn't have an official premiere date yet.