FIRST LOOK: Westworld Trailer (HBO)

The highly-anticipated collaboration between J.J. Abrams, Lisa Joy and Jonah Nolan is finally here–and it’s, quite frankly, mind-blowing.

How long have we been anxiously biting our nails for a ‘Westworld‘ release date? Who jumped excitedly when J.J. Abrams was announced as the executive producer? Joining him is Lisa Joy and Jonah Nolan, who you may know from the equally brilliant ‘Person of Interest‘. The cast is to die for. Anthony Hopkins, Ed Harris (known only as the ‘Gunslinger’), Evan Rachel Wood, James Marsden and Thandie Newton are among the insanely talented ensemble.

But what is it about? It’s based on the 1973 book of the same name–and as you can see, it’s a sci-fi thriller…that’s also a Western. And it’s utterly out-of-this-world. Literally. In the book, in a highly futuristic setting, for $1000, you can experience any ‘world’. The Roman Empire; the Wild West; Medieval Europe. It’s an opportunity for endless settings and plots–even beyond the book. Think about it. These guys can pay to have a day out in the Wild West, shooting up saloons and living the cowboy life. Then they can hop on over to the Roman Empire, streak in the senate and get hung, drawn and quartered. Or something. Exciting stuff, right?

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“Boy, have we got a vacation for you!”

What is real, and what is fiction? Anthony Hopkins is Dr. Robert Ford, the scarily intelligent, complex creator of Westworld. It’s a big amusement park of sorts–and people pay for their desires. Until things get messy. Enter Evan Rachel Wood, who even in the trailer gives a winning performance. She plays Dolores, who realises that her life–her apparent life, anyway–has been a complete lie. It’s a fabrication. And when people break that fabrication of manufactured reality, what does it result in?

Judging by the trailer, it results in gripping tension between Ford and Dolores. It’s horrifying, it’s steamy, it’s action-packed and it’s full of mystery. It’s going to be a series that baffles your brain in the best way possible. Frankly, we’d expect nothing less from the trio of star executive producers.

What more could you want? A Western world meshed in a futuristic setting? Jonah Nolan, fiddling with artificial intelligences (sound familiar)? J.J. Abrams? TV Guide placed Westworld as the fifth most anticipated show of 2016-2017. The music is gorgeous, the heavy action and still silence: the work of Ramin Djawadi (Game of Thrones, Person of Interest),. It’s a must-see. And we’ll prove it.

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“A dark odyssey about the dawn of artificial consciousness and the future of sin.”

Here’s the trailer below–get ready…

Westworld will premiere on Sunday, October 9pm ET/PT on HBO.