It's official: Westworld is coming back for a fourth season.
While it was always expected, HBO made the formal announcement earlier this afternoon, less than two weeks before the third season comes to a close on May 3. The Hollywood Reporter has also added that the critically acclaimed series from Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy is ultimately expected to run for six seasons.
Neither a production start date nor an episode count was given, but it's probably safe to assume that due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, it won't be able to begin filming until at least the back half of this year or early next. This means that it likely won't be ready to air until either late 2021 or early 2022, with the safe money on the latter due to the Primetime Emmy voting schedule.
According to THR, the renewal was part of the nine-figure overall deal Nolan and Joy signed with Amazon last year, which, while allowing them to create original content for Amazon, also included upfront payment for their services as showrunners on Westworld for the final three seasons (4-6).
HBO Renews WESTWORLD For A Fourth Season
LOS ANGELES, April 22, 2020 – HBO has renewed the Emmy®-winning drama series WESTWORLD for a fourth season, it was announced today by Casey Bloys, president, HBO Programming.
"From the western theme park to the technocratic metropolis of the near future, we’ve thoroughly enjoyed every twist and turn from the minds of master storytellers Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy," noted Bloys. "We can’t wait to see where their inspired vision takes us next.”
WESTWORLD returned for its eight-episode third season Sunday, March 15. A dark odyssey about the dawn of artificial consciousness and the question of free will, the show was created for television by Jonathan Nolan & Lisa Joy, who are also executive producers. Nolan directed the season’s premiere episode, which has surpassed nine million viewers across all platforms.
WESTWORLD was lauded as “the most epic show on TV” by Decider. TV Guide hailed the season as “dazzling,” “exhilarating,” and “incredibly relevant,” and Variety called it a “crowdpleasing ride through the world of the future.” The New York Times deemed it “sleek and eye-catching,” while NPR called season three “more entertaining than ever before.”
WESTWORLD was created for television by Jonathan Nolan & Lisa Joy, who are executive producers with Denise Thé, J.J. Abrams, Athena Wickham, Richard J. Lewis, and Ben Stephenson. Production companies: Kilter Films and Bad Robot Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television; based on the film written by Michael Crichton.
Westworld features:
Evan Rachel Wood as Dolores Abernathy
Thandie Newton as Maeve Millay
Jeffrey Wright as Bernard Lowe/Arnold Weber
Tessa Thompson as Charlotte Hale
Ed Harris as William/The Man in Black
Luke Hemsworth as Ashley Stubbs
Simon Quarterman as Lee Sizemore
Rodrigo Santoro as Hector Escaton
Aaron Paul as Caleb Nichols
Lena Waithe as Ash
Vincent Cassel as Serac
Scott Mescudi as Francis
Marshawn Lynch as Giggles
Jefferson Mays as Liam Dempsey Sr.
John Gallagher Jr. as Liam
Michael Ealy as Jake
Tommy Flanagan as Conells
Westworld returns with a brand new episode April 26