Even after only two episodes of the inaugural season, there has been hushed chatter that HBO’s Westworld could go on to become a staple on the network, potentially reaching the lofty heights of Game of Thrones.
Not bad for a series that endured a trying development, one that included HBO pumping the brakes on mid-way through production to allow the creatives involved time to map out future seasons. And though it’s an overt redo of the Westworld of 1973, inspiration for the hot new drama spans much further than Michael Crichton’s futuristic sci-fi.
Speaking at New York Comic Con — as relayed by Polygon — co-creators and executive producers Lisa Joy Nolan and Jonathan Nolan spoke about how video games such as Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption creatively informed the set-up of Westworld.
Said Jonathan Nolan: “The way that we act in our simulations is not […] how we act in the real world. That binary aspect of [The Man in Black’s] personality is something we’re exploring.” NPC characters and non-linear storytelling go hand-in-hand with the likes of GTA and Red Dead, and Jonathan Nolan believes that a personality such as the Man in Black speaks to “the game-like aspect of it” of HBO’s freshman series.
Westworld continues on HBO with the premiere of “The Stray” on Sunday, October 16.
[Source: Polygon]
