At long last, our Westworld draught is nearly over. The HBO epic closed out season 1 well over a year ago in December 2016, and it has often seemed like the Western-flavoured sci-fi favourite fell off the face of the Earth ever since. Thankfully, that dark period is over now that Dolores Abernathy (Evan Rachel Wood) and Co. will return on Sunday, April 22, as HBO announced on Super Bowl Sunday.
And, with that announcement came a brand new trailer for Westworld, which is perfectly crafted to get fans salivating over the upcoming episodes. We see an insurgent Maeve Millay (Thandie Newton) in her desperado best, Dolores shooting at will atop a speeding horse, and even a buffalo tearing up the joint. Robots just don't have respect these days, do they?
Although the sneak peek offers fans lots of fun tidbits for Westworld round 2, it doesn't tell us everything to come. So, we tracked down all the details floating around the internet about what to expect the twist-loving sci-fi drama. Keep reading to to learn what we found — and see that wild trailer.
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When exactly does Westworld season 2 premiere?
HBO's lengthy silence on the topic had the internet's best TV sleuths obsessively attempting to figure out the answer for about a year, but, we finally have a concrete answer.
Westworld season 2 will premiere Sunday, April 22, at 9 p.m, kicking off a 10-episode second season. It will be simulcast with the US, so when the show airs on HBO on Sunday nights, it will also be broadcast in the UK at 2am early Monday (and then repeated later that day).
Can I see that Westworld season 2 trailer we're talking about?
Yes, of course, I'm not a monster.
Has anyone been added to the cast for season 2?
We’re about to see quite a few new faces around Westworld. Handsome Skarsgård brother Gustaf Skarsgård has joined the cast as a series regular, as has Tyrant actor Fares Fares. Other new series regulars include Leftovers guest star Katja Herbers and Sleepy Hollow ’s Neil Jackson. Louis Herthum, who played Dolores Abernathy’s malfunctioning father Peter Abernathy, and Talulah Riley, who fills the role of Angela, the host who first introduces William (Jimmi Simpson) to the debauched park we’ve all grown to know and fear, have both been bumped up to series regular status.
Betty Gabriel, of creepy crying Get Out fame, will recur, along with Kingdom ’s Jonathan Tucker.
All of these new characters — save for Herthum’s Peter and Riley's Angela, whom we met in the Westworld season 1 — sound as though they will be dealing with the chaos unleashed in the season 1 finale.
However, one more addition hints Westworld season 2 is heading for uncharted waters...
Photo: Courtesy of HBO.Will we see any other worlds besides Westworld in season 2?
The latest new cast member seems to suggest viewers will get to look into Samurai World, which we only saw two hints about in season 1 (the initials “SW” and a room of apparent samurai warriors). Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada, who has played many sword-wielding characters in the past, has officially joined the cast in the mysterious role of Musashi.
While HBO has said nothing about the character, a Musashi Funko Pop doll shows the new addition in full samurai gear, spoiling the role Sanada will fill in Westworld season 2, TV Guide points out. It’s possible Musashi will exist outside of his home park, but, one way or another, Samurai World will likely factor into the season.
Is there any more proof of other worlds?
The very suspicious new Westworld -created website Delos Destinations, akin to a futuristic (and creepy) Disney World page, confirms the titular park isn't the only one. In fact, there are five more, which are still unknown as the site "glitches" over any information related to the unseen quintets.
Even with this shroud of mystery, I'm willing to bet Samuri World will end up with a spot on DelosDestinations.com.
Who will be back from season 1?
Both halves of the William-Man In Black drama will be back, meaning Jimmi Simpson, who plays the mid-manned William of yore (and loses most of those mild manners throughout season 1), and Ed Harris, who plays the grizzled, violent, and obsessive present-day William, are returning for season 2. Both men respectively confirmed as much during recent interviews.
Maeve, Dolores, Teddy Flood (James Marsden), and Bernard Lowe (Jeffrey Wright) will all also return, as the now-erased-from-the-Internet season 2 trailer promised. Humans Lee Sizemore (Simon Quarterman) and Stubbs (Luke Hemsworth) are also definitely along for the ride.
It’s currently unclear if Anthony Hopkins will return from the dead, but it’s a definite possibility — Westworld does love its flashbacks.
Photo: Courtesy of HBO.
What should we expect from season 2?
It sounds like a time jump is in order after the chaos that was unleashed in Westworld at the close of season 1. “You’re definitely going to see the aftermath and the effects of what happened,” creator Lisa Joy told EW earlier this year. But, her husband and co-executive producer Nolan cautioned, “We are definitely not picking up right where we left off.”
The writer also said in November 2016 of his show’s sophomore year, “Their construction and their power source is something we’re really going to get into during season 2 … There are advantages and disadvantages to being a host. Season 2 we’ll be exploring more the nuts and bolts of what they are— as the hosts themselves are trying to understand.”
Star Thandie Newton has also spilled a few tiny beans on what to expect for her character Maeve, who finds out she was programmed to escape the park all along. “In Season 2, we’re going to see her going back into the world that she has abandoned, which felt to me like an incredibly courageous and ultimately rebellious choice,” the British actress told The Hollywood Reporter.
Photo: Courtesy of HBO.
Does the season 2 premiere have a name yet?
Yes, yes it does. IMDb reveals the opening instalment is titled “Journey into Night,” which is the same moniker Dr. Robert Ford (Anthony Hopkins), who set in motion Dolores' journey to new-found sentience, gives his final narrative before all hell breaks loose in the Westworld park.
Of course, all other details of the episode are still a total secret, and it will likely stay that way until Westworld season 2’s debut.
Photo: Courtesy of HBO.Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
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