The drama, about an adult amusement park populated by lifelike robots, is attracting an A-list ensemble cast
HBO's
Westworld is building an A-list ensemble cast — despite the fact that most of the actors will play robots. Actually, that's the allure.
Based on
Michael Crichton's 1973 film and written by
Jonathan Nolan and
Lisa Joy, the pilot stars
Anthony Hopkins in his first series-regular role as an inventor who runs an adult amusement park populated by lifelike robots.
Sources tell
The Hollywood Reporter these androids — played by castmembers including
James Marsden,
Evan Rachel Wood and
Thandie Newton — can be killed off and return with completely different personas, allowing actors to play many characters in the same season.
That creative device, one top talent agent says, is helping HBO attract a premier cast (which also includes
Ed Harris, Miranda Otto and
Jeffrey Wright). And unlike the actors on such anthology series as FX's
American Horror Story and HBO's own
True Detective, which reboot themselves every season, the cast of
Westworld is signing multiyear deals.
hollywoodreporter.com