Warner Bros. won’t let fans stream the TV show Westworld, but the company is about to go back to the park in a big way. David Koepp, the writer who adapted Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park for the big screen, is currently writing a new film adaptation of Westworld, which is also a Crichton property.
Crichton wrote and directed the Westworld movie in 1973, which told the story of a western-themed park where people could go to live out their wildest dreams. In 2016, it became a buzzy, fan-favorite HBO show that ran for four seasons. And no, that TV show is no longer available to stream on HBO Max, but according to Deadline, a “major filmmaker” is circling this new adaptation.
There’s no word on how, or if, this Westworld will follow or incorporate anything from the original movie or TV show, but we’d venture to guess it’s more of a fresh take than any type of sequel. And while we’re loving the pairing of Koepp (whose absolutely incredible resume includes the screenplays for not just Jurassic Park, but Mission: Impossible, Spider-Man, Carlito’s Way, Panic Room, War of the Worlds, and a million others) with Crichton’s vision, it does bring up bad memories.
Like the fact that the TV show Westworld was one of the most fascinating sci-fi shows to come out in decades, and that Warner Bros. very unceremoniously canceled it before it reached a satisfying conclusion, and then removed all trace of it from its streaming service. Maybe this new foray into the franchise will at least spark the show back onto the streamer so we can all remember the craziness the show brought, as well as the mysteries that never got answered. (It is, at least, available to purchase on Blu-ray as well as digitally.)
We’ll have more on the new Westworld movie as we hear it. But, for now, are you happy the franchise is coming back at all, or is it still a little bit of bitterness?
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