Update 7/22: Deadline confirms that Anthony Hopkins and Evan Rachel Wood have joined the cast of "Westworld," with James Marsden in talks as well.
In the canon of remakes-that-are-taking-forever-to-get-made, "Westworld" would be up there. The project is slowly developing for years and never quite getting anywhere, but last year J.J. Abrams and Jonah Nolan signed up to produce the movie for HBO, with the latter writing the script and directing the pilot. Well, it seems it’s a step closer to happening as offers are now out for actors to fill the roles of the futuristic flick about robots run amok.
According to Film Divider, Anthony Hopkins, Evan Rachel Wood and James Marsden have been offered roles in the potential series. The concept will be similar—set in a futuristic, Western-themed amusement park—but it will instead focus on the robots….who don’t realize they are robots. But you still need humans, and Hopkins has apparently been offered the part of Westworld proprietor, Dr. Ford, who is described as a mix between "Dr. Moreau, part Blade Runner’s Dr. Tyrell, and just a little bit like Jurassic Park’s John Hammond." Meanwhile, Wood and Marsden (if they take the roles) would be positioned as the heroes of the show, robots who are also love interests, but who find any kind of relationship continually thwarted by constant reboots in their programming when they "die." Finally, there’s a villain role, The Man In Black, a sadistic visitor to Westworld who soon gets a peek behind the curtain, possibly unveiling a conspiracy.
Anyway, it sounds ambitious and an interesting flip on the concept. And whether or not these actors snag the part, it seems things are moving at HBO to get this project going. But before you get too excited, this still has to be cast and make it past pilot before it lands on the air.