HBO's Westworld Teaser References Blade Runner

Posted on June 20, 2016

The highly anticipated HBO remake of the feature film Westworld as a series has been beset by problems. Production was shut down, major roles were recast and the premiere date was jettisoned. Well, it appears that HBO has gotten things organized and has dropped a new teaser trailer.

The show is a remake of the 1973 film directed by Michael Crichton. Westworld is an adult playground staffed by realistic looking androids. Sir Anthony Hopkins plays Dr. Robert Ford, the brains behind the operation. The cast includes Evan Rachel Wood, James Marsden, Thandie Newton, Ed Harris, Ben Barnes, Jeffrey Wright, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Rodrigo Santoro, Shannon Woodward and Simon Quarterman.

Evan Rachel Wood plays Dolores, an android who doesn't know she's an android. Thandie Newton also plays an android who is currently playing a saloon girl in the Old West. Something goes terribly wrong with the androids and the resort becomes very dangerous for humans. In this trailer Dr. Ford asks an older, male android "What are your drives?" The android stares at Ford and quotes the Replicant Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer) from Blade Runner, "To meet my maker," then begins to laugh. Yikes. The androids reference Blade Runner? That's pretty meta -- and pretty scary. Roy wanted to met his maker at the Tyrell Corporation to have his life extended. And when that didn't happen, things did not go well for his maker. We can't wait for this. The premiere is in October. Take a look: