HBO has unveiled a brand new teaser for Westworld season 3, introducing a potentially sinister tech company into the action. Co-created by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, the science-fiction series is based on Michael Crichton's 1973 film of the same name about a Western-themed park full of robots who go rogue and start attacking the guests. Westworld first aired on HBO in 2016, earning rave reviews and impressive debut ratings as it explored the deeper themes only touched upon in the movie. Although it attempted to expand upon these themes and existential questions, Westworld season 2 was less popular. Proving divisive, many believed the show had become too convoluted.
Season 2, of course, saw the robot uprising begin in earnest as the hosts attempted to maintain their newfound freedom, while the Delos Corporation struggled to get them back under control. With Westworld season 2, episode 10, "The Passenger", the season ended on some huge cliffhangers and with several fates up in the air. With numerous characters uploaded safely into a new digital world known as The Sublime, Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood) finally escaped into the real world. Despite the dip in acclaim, HBO, however, continued to pledge their support, having already commissioned Westworld season 3. Nolan subsequently vowed that Westworld season 3 will be easier to follow.
Released on Youtube by HBO, fans can now get a fresh taste of what's to come. Taking the form of a commercial, the new Westworld season 3 promo introduces a tech company called Incite. As if the name didn't have enough sinister connotations on its own, the brief teaser is packed with ominous wording and overtones. "The world is complex, complicated, messy," says Liam Dempsey Sr, co-founder of Incite and the promo's central figure. "But life doesn't have to be." Portrayed by Jefferson Mays, the character goes on to espouse that Incite can help with some of the world's seemingly unsolvable problems and help people find an exciting purpose in their lives. With "unprecedented computing capabilities" and "limitless possibilities", Dempsey declares most ominously of all, that the only choice people have to make ever again is Incite. Of course, in true Westworld fashion, it is then revealed that Dempsey is more than he seems on the surface. Check out the full promo below:
Though Westworld season 3 will be the shortest to date, the new episodes will feature a host of new characters. Aaron Paul has signed on to play Caleb, a construction worker who dabbles in criminal heists. Season 3 will also feature Lena Waithe as one of Caleb's criminal associates and Vincent Cassel as a potential new villain. Alongside Wood, other such Westworld alum as Tessa Thompson, Thandie Newton, Jeffrey Wright, and Ed Harris will also return. Beyond that and the Dolores plot to bring the human world crashing down, the plot details remain very much shrouded in secrecy.
The introduction of Incite does little to clarify things. It will no doubt prove an interesting wrinkle regarding Westworld fans' commitment to theorizing and fierce speculation. Are they an extension of Delos - the company that financed the various parks and their inhabiting hosts - or a competitor? Was the company created by Dolores as part of her plan or a new obstacle? Is their people-powered computing technology fueled by The Sublime and the various uploaded android minds? Will Incite be connected to Cassel's villain? Along with the teaser, an official website for Incite was unveiled. As such, fans will have yet another rabbit hole to venture down in search for answers. Chances are, however, that most will likely not be forthcoming before Westworld season 3 finally airs.
Westworld season 3 will premiere in the first half of 2020.
Source: HBO