Almost one year ago word broke that HBO was planning an adaptation of Michael Crichton’s “Westworld” from Bad Robot’s J.J. Abrams and Jonah Nolan. Now, TVLine reports that six more have joined the cast of the film, including Jeffrey Wright (“Boardwalk Empire”), Rodrigo Santoro (“LOST”), Shannon Woodward (“Raising Hope”), Ingrid Bolso Berdal (Hercules), Angela Sarafyan (The Good Guys) and Simon Quarterman (The Devil Inside). The site reports the actors will play the following characters:
Wright – Bernard Lowe: The brilliant and quixotic head of the park’s Programming Division, Bernard’s keen observation of human nature provides him with boundless inspiration for his life’s work: creating artificial people.
Santoro – Harlan Bell: Terrifying and brutal, with a dark sense of humor, Harlan is Westworld’s perennial “Most Wanted” bandit. He subscribes to the theory that the West is a wild place, and the only way to survive is to embrace the role of predator.
Woodward – Elsie King: A sardonic rising star in the Programming division, Elsie is charged with diagnosing the odd quirks of behaviors in the park’s hosts.
Berdal – Armistice: A savage fighter and brutal bandit, her ruthlessness with her victims is surpassed only by her abiding loyalty to her fellow outlaws.
Sarafyan – Clementine Pennyfeather: One of Westworld’s most popular attractions, every aspect of Clementine is perfectly beguiling, by design.
Quarterman – Lee Sizemore: The narrative director of Westworld, his inspired storylines consistently delight or terrify the guests — and his artistic temperament consistently grates on his colleagues.
These six join a cast that already includes Sir Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Robert Ford, the head of the park, and Evan Rachel Wood as Dolores Abernathy, a farm girl who isn’t aware that her existence is part of the park’s program.
HBO has given the planned series a pilot commitment with Nolan directing the pilot and writing alongside his wife (and recently announced Spider-Man spin-off scribe) Lisa Joy.
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.
(Photo Credit: PNP/Brian To/Nikki Nelson/WENN.com)
