WESTWORLD Creator Jonathan Nolan Hopes To Finish The Story He Set Out To Tell
HBO canceled Westworld after a four-season run, and the show didn’t get a proper ending to close out the story that creator Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy set out to tell.
The cancelation came as a shock to dedicated fans of the show, especially after the creators shared their plan was to wrap up the story with a fifth and final season.
Nolan and Joy have kept themselves busy since the show ended and most recently developed the series adaptation of the hit video game franchise Fallout for Prime Video. But, if they ever got the opportunity to close out their Westworld story, they would jump at the chance.
During a recent interview with CB, Nolan was asked if fans would ever get any type of conclusion, whether in the form of a movie or a special. Nolan responded: "Lisa [Joy] and I had a plan from the very beginning. We do like to finish our stories when we can. If there's an opportunity somewhere down the road, we will certainly take it."
I have no idea if they will ever get that opportunity, but Deadwood ended up getting the chance to conclude its story with a movie, so, I guess… never say never.
Series star James Marsden previously addressed the show's cancelation after Season 4, calling the decision "a disappointment," as a fifth season would have wrapped up the story. Marsden shared: "I'd be lying to you if I told you that the way we ended Westworld wasn't a disappointment. I'm never going to speak without gratitude about any of my experiences, but it would have been nice to be able to complete the story we wanted to finish.”
He added: "I love this Westworld family. It was one of those unique opportunities to be part of something where I also would be sitting at home ravenously waiting for the next episode as a fan. I totally understand it's an expensive show and big shows have to have big audiences to merit the expense, I just wish it was about more than financial success.”
Marsden ended on a hopeful note, saying: “But who knows, maybe there's some world where it can get completed somehow. Maybe that's just wishful thinking, because I know we had plans to finish it the way we wanted to."
When the series was canceled, HBO released the following statement: "Over the past four seasons, Lisa and Jonah have taken viewers on a mind-bending odyssey, raising the bar at every step.”
“We are tremendously grateful to them, along with their immensely talented cast, producers and crew, and all of our partners at Kilter Films, Bad Robot and Warner Bros. Television. It's been a thrill to join them on this journey."
Nolan and Joy, issued their own statement, saying: "Making Westworld has been one of the highlights of our careers. We are deeply grateful to our extraordinary cast and crew for creating these indelible characters and brilliant worlds. We've been privileged to tell these stories about the future of consciousness – both human and beyond – in the brief window of time before our AI overlords forbid us from doing so."
Do you think Nolan and Joy will ever get to finish the story for Westworld?