Westworld will continue to explore new worlds at HBO. It has been announced that the critically acclaimed fan-favorite series has been renewed for a fourth season.
Showrunners Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan have a pre-existing deal in place that keeps them with the sci-fi drama for up to six seasons so it’s likely they have a plan for the show that gets them to that point. HBO programming president Casey Bloys had this to say about the renewal:
“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. We can’t wait to see where their inspired vision takes us next.”
Westworld has been a key piece in HBO’s scripted originals lineup. While season three returned down (1.7 million total viewers, including 901,000 linear vs. 2.05 million of the latter in season two), the renewal is a part of a larger payout for Joy and Nolan that includes a nine-figure deal the duo signed with Amazon last year. While the married showrunners will create new projects for Amazon, the deal included upfront payment for their services as showrunners on Westworld, which likely secures its place at HBO for at least six seasons.
There is no word on when season four will air or how many episodes it will consist of. The series was off the air for nearly two years between seasons two and three due to the show being heavy on VFX, which makes post-production a bit lengthier. Season one and two were 10 episodes while season 3 will consist of 8. Westworld stars Evan Rachel Wood, Thandie Newton, Jeffrey Wright, Ed Harris, Tessa Thompson, and Aaron Paul.
