Westworld
| Westworld | |
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 Original film logo | |
| Created by | Michael Crichton |
| Original work | Westworld (1973) |
| Films and television | |
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| Television series |
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Westworld is an American science fiction-thriller media franchise, which began in 1973 with the release of the film Westworld, written and directed by Michael Crichton. The film depicts a technologically advanced, Western-themed amusement park populated by androids that malfunction and begin killing the human visitors; it was followed by the sequel film Futureworld (1976).
In 1980, there was a short-lived television series, Beyond Westworld. A television series called Westworld, produced by HBO and based on the original film, debuted on October 2, 2016. A second season aired in April 2018, with a third season ordered the following month. The third season aired from March 15 through May 3, 2020. A fourth season was ordered in April 2020.
Film series
Films
Westworld (1973)
Westworld was the first theatrical feature novelist Michael Crichton directed, after one TV movie.[1] It was also the first feature film to use digital image processing to pixellate photography in order to simulate an android's point of view.[2] The film was nominated for Hugo, Nebula and Saturn awards. The film was well-received by critics.[3]
The story is about amusement park robots that malfunction and begin killing visitors. It stars Yul Brynner as an android in a futuristic Western-themed amusement park, and Richard Benjamin and James Brolin as guests of the park.
Futureworld (1976)
Futureworld is the sequel to the Michael Crichton film. The sequel stars Peter Fonda, Blythe Danner, Arthur Hill, Stuart Margolin, John Ryan, and Yul Brynner, who makes a cameo appearance in a dream sequence. Other than Brynner, none of the cast members from the original film appear, and original writer-director Crichton was not involved.[4]
The story is set two years after the Westworld tragedy, with the Delos corporation having reopened the park. The story starts when newspaper reporter Chuck Browning (Peter Fonda) and TV reporter Tracy Ballard (Blythe Danner) are invited to review the park.[4]
Principal cast
| Characters | Film | |
|---|---|---|
| Westworld (1973) |
Futureworld (1976) | |
| The Gunslinger | Yul Brynner | |
| Peter Martin | Richard Benjamin | |
| John Blane | James Brolin | |
| Chuck Browning | Peter Fonda | |
| Tracy Ballard | Blythe Danner | |
| Dr. Duffy | Arthur Hill | |
| Dr. Schneider | John P. Ryan | |
| Harry | Stuart Margolin | |
Crew
| Role | Film | |
|---|---|---|
| Westworld (1973) |
Futureworld (1976) | |
| Director | Michael Crichton | Richard T. Heffron |
| Producer | Paul N. Lazarus III | Paul N. Lazarus III and James T. Aubrey |
| Screenplay | Michael Crichton | Mayo Simon and George Schenck |
| Composer | Fred Karlin | |
| Editor | David Bretherton | James Mitchell |
| Cinematographer | Gene Polito | Howard Schwartz and Gene Polito |
| Running time | 88 minutes | 104 minutes |
Television series
Beyond Westworld (1980)
Beyond Westworld was created by Michael Crichton which served as a continuation of the two feature films.[5] The series stars Jim McMullan as Security Chief John Moore of the Delos Corporation. The story revolved around Moore having to stop the evil scientist, Quaid, as he plans to use the Delos robots to try to take over the world.[6] It premiered on March 5, 1980 on the television network CBS in the United States. The show was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Makeup and Outstanding Art Direction For a Series. Only five episodes were produced, of which three aired before the series' cancellation.
Westworld (2016–present)
Westworld is an American science fiction-thriller television series created by Husband-wife duo Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy. Nolan serves as executive producer along with Joy, J. J. Abrams and Bryan Burk.[7] The series takes place in fictional Westworld, a technologically advanced, Western-themed amusement park populated completely by synthetic androids dubbed "Hosts". Westworld caters to high-paying visitors dubbed "Newcomers" (also known as "Guests"), who can do whatever they wish within the park, without fear of retaliation from the Hosts.
Westworld premiered on October 2, 2016 on the cable television channel HBO in the United States.[8]
The series has been well received.[9][10] The series has also attained strong Nielsen ratings for HBO, with the U.S. series premiere attracting 1.96 million viewers.[11]
Video game
A first-person shooter based on the film, titled Westworld 2000, was released in 1996.[12]
References
- ^ "Westworld". Tcm.com. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
- ^ A Brief, Early History of Computer Graphics in Film Archived 2012-07-17 at the Wayback Machine, Larry Yaeger, 16 Aug 2002 (last update), retrieved 24 March 2010
- ^ "Westworld (1973)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
- ^ a b Variety Staff. December 31, 1975. "Futureworld", Variety.
- ^ "Beyond Westworld". The New York Times.
- ^ "Beyond Westworld DVD news: Announcement for Beyond Westworld - The Complete Series - TVShowsOnDVD.com". Archived from the original on August 1, 2014.
- ^ Gelman, Vlada (August 31, 2013). "HBO Greenlights Sci-Fi Pilot Westworld From J.J. Abrams and Jonathan Nolan". TVLine. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
- ^ Prudom, Laura (July 30, 2016). "'Westworld,' 'Divorce,' 'Insecure' Set HBO Premiere Dates". Variety. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
- ^ "Westworld: Season 1 (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
- ^ "Westworld: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
- ^ Holloway, Daniel (October 3, 2016). "TV Ratings: 'Westworld' Premiere Matches 'True Detective' Season 1". Variety. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
- ^ "Westworld 2000". Next Generation. No. 27. Imagine Media. March 1997. p. 98.
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