Westworld (franchise)
| Westworld | |
|---|---|
 Original film logo | |
| Creator | Michael Crichton |
| Original work | Westworld (1973) |
| Films and television | |
| Films |
|
| Television series |
|
Westworld is an American science fiction–thriller media franchise, centered on a 1973 film created by Michael Crichton. It depicts the disastrous attempt to create a technologically advanced, Western-themed amusement park, that is populated completely by synthetic androids.
The franchise began in 1973 with the release of the film Westworld, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was followed by the sequel Futureworld (1976).
The series has spawned an extensive media franchise with television series.
Film series
Films
Westworld (1973)
Westworld was Michael Crichton's first theatrical feature he directed.[1] It was also the first feature film to use digital image processing, to pixellate photography to simulate an android point of view.[2] The film was nominated for Hugo, Nebula and Saturn awards. The film was well received by the critics.[3]
The story is about the amusement park robots that malfunction and begin killing visitors. It stars Yul Brynner as an android in a futuristic Western-themed amusement park, and Richard Benjamin and James Brolin as guests of the park.
Futureworld (1976)
Futureworld is the sequel to the Michael Crichton film Westworld. The sequel stars Peter Fonda, Blythe Danner, Arthur Hill, Stuart Margolin, John Ryan, and Yul Brynner, who makes a cameo appearance in a dream sequence. Other than Brynner, none of the cast members from the original film appear, and original writer-director Crichton was not involved.[4]
The story is set two years after the Westworld tragedy, with the Delos corporation having reopened the park. The story starts when newspaper reporter Chuck Browning (Peter Fonda) and TV reporter Tracy Ballard (Blythe Danner) are invited to review the park.[4]
Principal cast
| Characters | Film | |
|---|---|---|
| Westworld (1973) |
Futureworld (1976) | |
| The Gunslinger | Yul Brynner | |
| Peter Martin | Richard Benjamin | |
| John Blane | James Brolin | |
| Chuck Browning | Peter Fonda | |
| Tracy Ballard | Blythe Danner | |
| Dr. Duffy | Arthur Hill | |
| Dr. Schneider | John P. Ryan | |
| Harry | Stuart Margolin | |
Crew
| Role | Film | |
|---|---|---|
| Westworld (1973) |
Futureworld (1976) | |
| Director | Michael Crichton | Richard T. Heffron |
| Producer | Paul N. Lazarus III | Paul N. Lazarus III, James T. Aubrey & Samuel Z. Arkoff |
| Screenplay | Michael Crichton | Mayo Simon & George Schenck |
| Composer | Fred Karlin | |
| Editor | David Bretherton | James Mitchell |
| Cinematographer | Gene Polito | Howard Schwartz & Gene Polito |
| Running time | 88 minutes | 104 minutes |
Television series
Beyond Westworld (1980)
Beyond Westworld is an American science fiction thriller television series created by Michael Crichton, which carried on the stories of the two feature films Westworld and Futureworld.[5] The series stars Jim McMullan as Security Chief John Moore of the Delos Corporation. The story revolved around Moore having to stop the evil scientist, Quaid, as he planned to use the robots in Delos to try to take over the world.[6]
Beyond Westworld premiered on March 5, 1980 on the network television channel CBS in the United States.
The show was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Makeup and Outstanding Art Direction For a Series, but only five episodes were produced, and only three of them were aired before cancellation.
Westworld (2016–present)
Westworld is an American science fiction thriller television series created by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy. Nolan serves as executive producer along with Joy, J. J. Abrams and Bryan Burk.[7] The series takes place in fictional Westworld, a technologically advanced, Western-themed amusement park populated completely by synthetic androids dubbed "Hosts". Westworld caters to high-paying visitors dubbed "Newcomers" (also known as "Guests"), who can do whatever they wish within the park, without fear of retaliation from the Hosts.
Westworld premiered on October 2, 2016 on the cable television channel HBO in the United States.[8]
The series has been well received.[9][10] The series has also attained strong Nielsen ratings for HBO, with the U.S. series premiere attracting 1.96 million viewers.[11]
References
- ↑ "Westworld". Tcm.com. Retrieved 2012-04-29.
- ↑ A Brief, Early History of Computer Graphics in Film, Larry Yaeger, 16 Aug 2002 (last update), retrieved 24 March 2010
- ↑ "Westworld (1973)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
- 1 2 Variety Staff. December 31, 1975. "Futureworld", Variety.
- ↑ "Beyond Westworld". The New York Times.
- ↑ "Beyond Westworld DVD news: Announcement for Beyond Westworld - The Complete Series - TVShowsOnDVD.com".
- ↑ Gelman, Vlada (August 31, 2013). "HBO Greenlights Sci-Fi Pilot Westworld From J.J. Abrams and Jonathan Nolan". TVLine. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
- ↑ Prudom, Laura (July 30, 2016). "'Westworld,' 'Divorce,' 'Insecure' Set HBO Premiere Dates". Variety. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
- ↑ "Westworld: Season 1 (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
- ↑ "Westworld: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
- ↑ Holloway, Daniel (October 3, 2016). "TV Ratings: 'Westworld' Premiere Matches 'True Detective' Season 1". Variety. Retrieved October 10, 2016.