Over the last month, HBO’s upcoming “Westworld” pilot has been gathering an impressive cast that includes Anthony Hopkins, Evan Rachel Wood and James Marsden. Today, the new “Westworld” found its villain.
According to Entertainment Weekly, veteran film actor Ed Harris has been cast in “Westworld” as The Man in Black, “the distillation of pure villainy into one man.” Harris previously co-starred in the HBO TV movie Game Change. However, Harris is primarily known for his movie roles in Pollock, Apollo 13, The Truman Show, The Hours, Enemy at the Gates, The Rock, The Abyss, A Beautiful Mind and Gone Baby Gone among several others.
Jonathan Nolan (“Person of Interest”) and Lisa Joy are updating Michael Crichton’s 1973 film Westworld, which was set in a futuristic theme park that was overrun by androids in revolt against their human masters. The new take on “Westworld” is said to be “a dark odyssey about the dawn of artificial consciousness and the future of sin.”
Related: James Marsden Joins HBO’s ‘Westworld’
Rodrigo Santoro and Shannon Woodward have also been cast in the “Westworld” pilot alongside Ingrid Bolsø Berdal, Angela Sarafyan, Simon Quarterman, Eddie Rouse, Demetrius Grosse, Kyle Bornheimer, Currie Graham, Lena Georgas, Steven Ogg and Timothy Lee DePriest.
Nolan and Joy are executive producing the “Westworld” pilot with J.J. Abrams, Jerry Weintraub and Bryan Burk. HBO has not announced a start date for production of the “Westworld” pilot, but given the recent casting announcements it could begin filming later this year.
