With production on HBO's Westworld season 4 starting up once again after a brief pause due to positive COVID-19 tests, co-creator Lisa Joy has teased what fans can expect from the new season, including new worlds. Based on Michael Crichton's 1973 film of the same name, and to a lesser extent its sequel Futureworld, the series is set in the near future where the wealthy fulfill their wildest fantasies in expansive theme parks based on the likes of the Wild West and Feudal Japan, with their every whim catered to by android hosts. Things go awry when the hosts start to show signs of sentience and begin to rebel against their masters.
The third season, subtitled The New World, concluded in May of 2020, and saw much of the action shift to outside the Delos parks, with Evan Rachel Wood's Dolores taking residence in Los Angeles in 2053 alongside Aaron Paul's Caleb, and learning how androids are treated in the real world. Despite expanding the world outside of the park, reception to season 3 was mixed, with some critics claiming that the new setting lacked the depth of the parks themselves.
However, it seems as though season 4 could mark a return to the iconic Delos parks. Speaking to Deadline ahead of the release of her new movie Reminiscence, Joy teased that the audience are "going to see some new worlds that I think are really fun" in the new season. She also added that they can expect "to see someone who I kidnapped from Reminiscence in a funny way.” Considering Reminiscence already stars Westworld alums -Thandiwe Newton and Angela Sarafyan- it will be interesting to see who makes the jump across to the show.
With the Delos park mostly destroyed at the end of season 2, it's unclear what will spark the return to the parks or what state they will be in. Thus far, we have seen the titular Westworld, as well as Shōgunworld, a jungle world presumably based on Colonial India, and Warworld - based on fascist-Italy during the Second World War. The original film had both a Romanworld and a Medievalworld, and while there have been references to a Fantasyworld in the series, incorporating elements of the latter, we are yet to see anything fully fleshed out.
While Westworld only makes loose references to the original film, it would make sense for the series to draw on some of its elements as the series progresses. However, considering that Westworld has mostly moved past the Delos parks, it seems more likely that we will see these new parks explored via flashbacks. Doing so would allow the show to further develop both the backstories of new characters as well as the lore of the parks themselves, which are arguably some of the most fascinating parts of the show.
Westworld's first season balanced its past and present narratives well, and hopefully season 4 would be able to recapture some this glory were it to return to a similar format. Fans will just have to wait to see what exactly Joy and her co-writers have in store for season 4 as filming progresses. While there's no official date confirmed, we can expect the new season of Westworld to release at some point in 2022.
Source: Deadline