Almost a year after releasing a buzzed-about trailer, HBO has finally given something of a premiere date for its new series Westworld, its adaptation of the 1973 Michael Crichton movie.
With a statement offering little information beyond the promise of a 10-episode season set in “a world in which every human appetite, no matter how noble or depraved, can be indulged,” the series will debut this autumn with a cast that includes Evan Rachel Wood, Ed Harris, Anthony Hopkins, James Marsden, Thandie Newton, Sidse Babett Knudsen and Jeffrey Wright.
The news comes in the wake of a delayed production and bad press. Last autumn, controversy rose out of news that background actors were asked to participate in scenes of a graphic sexual nature, which caught the attention of SAG-AFTRA, the labour union representing more than 160,000 film and TV professionals. In January, HBO temporarily shut down production on the series to allow for the script to be finalised.
The series is executive produced by J.J. Abrams and co-written by Person of Interest creator Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy (Burn Notice).
HBO also announced an autumn arrival for the new half-hour comedy series Divorce, which stars Sarah Jessica Parker and was created by Catastrophe co-writer and star Sharon Horgan.
Also due on HBO in the autumn are a pair of shows with roots in streaming TV. Issa Rae, creator of the YouTube series Awkward Black Girl, makes the jump to cable with the half-hour comedy Insecure, and High Maintenance, a web series that appeared on Vimeo and followed the experiences of a bicycling pot dealer.
Premiere dates and times are not yet available.
