"Westworld": HBO cancels science fiction series after four seasons

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Will probably no longer be seen as an android: Evan Rachel Wood in »Westworld«

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HBO/AP

Disappointment for "Westworld" fans: The science fiction series will be canceled after four seasons.

This was announced by the US broadcaster HBO after US media reports.

The finale of the fourth season was only shown in mid-August.

The producers had hoped for an extension – but several factors, such as high production costs and falling viewership, are said to have led to the end of the series, wrote the industry journal Variety.

Up to six seasons of the sci-fi series were actually planned.

Originally, the production was traded as the successor to the popular and award-winning series »Game of Thrones«.

Internet fans in particular were saddened by the sudden end of »Westworld«.

The dystopian series, which has been awarded nine Emmys, can look back on a very popular cast: actresses and actors such as Evan Rachel Wood, Thandiwe Newton, Ed Harris, Jeffrey Wright, Tessa Thompson, Luke Hemsworth, Aaron Paul and, most recently, Oscar winner Ariana DeBose With.

Artificial creatures and humanoid robots

The producer of the series is also an expert in American entertainment cinema with JJ Abrams ("Star Wars - The Force Awakens").

The sci-fi spectacle was developed by partners Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan, who wrote the screenplays for blockbusters such as »The Dark Knight« and »Interstellar«.

It was based on the 1973 film of the same name by bestselling author Michael Crichton.

The focus of the series, which started in 2016, is the futuristic amusement park Westworld, where visitors can have fun with human-like robots.

But then the artificial creatures defend themselves - and threaten the people.

DER SPIEGEL recommended the series six years ago with the following praise: »The complexity of the plot, which unfolds like a novel, and the intellectuality of the questions dealt with raises ›Westworld‹ above comparable current series: It is about consciousness and identity, about human greed for profit and hubris as well as about the moral pitfalls of technical feasibility.

›High Noon‹ for the

.«

evh/dpa