It feels like forever since Westworld burst onto our screens in 2016 garnering 22 Emmy nominations, a 92% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, critical recognition worldwide, and swiftly becoming the first show to really give Game of Thrones a run for its money.
Thankfully, we won’t have to wait much longer for the highly anticipated second season with the first trailer, airing during the Superbowl, revealing a release date of April 22nd.
Below, find everything you need to know about the series’ return.
Evan Rachel Wood will still be a main character
The newly released trailer confirms that robot Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood) wants to build a new world where the robots are in control. “We can burn it to the ground,” she says in the eerie voiceover. “From the ashes, build a new world – our world.”
The wild west landscape will remain
“This series is called Westworld. So Westworld the place and the idea of it remains central to our story as we go forward,” one of the show’s creators, Jonah Nolan, explained to The Hollywood Reporter. “But the hosts are going to become more curious about what else there is in this world for them to understand and explore,” he continued.
“That’s where we want our show to go as well.”
There are six worlds in total
Fans have discovered a new website tied to Westworld, which reveals that five additional parks exist. At the end of season one, we got our first glimpse at ‘Samurai World,’ but so far have no hints as to what the other four parks will be themed around.
However, in the Michael Crichton film on which Westworld is based, there are two additional parks beyond the main western-themed attraction – ‘Roman World’ and ‘Medieval World’, THR points out, noting it would make sense for the show’s writers to follow suit.
We already know some of the new faces
Actor Peter Mullan has joined the series as James Delos, founder of the Delos company (which created the theme parks). Additionally, HBO has confirmed the casting of Hiroyuki Sanada, Katja Herbers, Gustaf Skarsgard and Fares Fares.
And your season one favourites will be back
Evan Rachel Wood (Dolores), Thandie Newton (Maeve), Jeffrey Wright (both Bernard and Arnold), James Marsden (Teddy,) Jimmi Simpson (William, who evolves into the Man in Black, played by Ed Harris) and Tessa Thompson (Charlotte Hale) are confirmed for the second season. Louis Herthum (Dolores’s father, Peter Abernathy) and Talulah Riley (Angela) will also be back in more prominant roles.
