It was nearly a year ago that news broke that Bad Robot has plans to live up to its name with J.J. Abrams and Jonah Nolan set to team with Warner Bros. Television for a small screen adaptation of Michael Crichton’s “Westword” on HBO. Today, Deadline reveals that the pilot has attracted some impressive talent and that both Sir Anthony Hopkins and Evan Rachel Wood will star. James Marsden is also said to be in talks, but has not yet been confirmed.
The original 1973 film, both written and directed by Crichton, takes place in a future amusement park wherein visitors interact with androids in recreations of famous historical environments. When something goes wrong, however, the androids turn deadly.
Westworld received a sequel, Futureworld, in 1976 and was spun off into a short-lived series, “Beyond Westworld,” in 1980.
Hopkins will take on the role of Dr. Robert Ford, the head of the park, while Wood will play Dolores Abernathy, a farm girl who isn’t aware that her existence is part of the park’s program.
HBO has already given the planned series a pilot commitment with Nolan directing the pilot and writing alongside his wife (and “Burn Notice” scribe) Lisa Joy.
