HBO's "Westworld", starring Anthony Hopkins/produced by J.J. Abrams

http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/07/22/a.../?hootPostID=84750429a5f719153637b372d61efa08

This is actually the second attempt at a TV adaptation of "Westworld", following the extremely short-lived "Beyond Westworld" show in 1980:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beyond_Westworld

 

Re: HBO's "Westworld", starring Anthony Hopkins/produced by J.J. Abram

"...produced by J.J. Abrams"

Sigh.

 

Re: HBO's "Westworld", starring Anthony Hopkins/produced by J.J. Abram

Why the sigh? Shit - he's hot right now. He's the George Lucas and Steven Spielberg of today's sci-fi entertainment. I say go JJ - give us a great Wars flick and hopefully use the fact that this will be on HBO to your advantage. [see Game of Thrones for sex, nudity, and violence as your guide]

 

Re: HBO's "Westworld", starring Anthony Hopkins/produced by J.J. Abram

I have to ask: Would a western-themed fantasy park really be a hot draw these days? Wouldn't ZombieWorld or SteamPunkWorld be more commercial?

 

Re: HBO's "Westworld", starring Anthony Hopkins/produced by J.J. Abram

Great point. Hopefully they will take some creative license and set the drama in at a minimum a theme park like Universal or Disney.

 

Re: HBO's "Westworld", starring Anthony Hopkins/produced by J.J. Abram

I remember 20 years ago talk of a remake of the movie with the likes of Ahnuld and Clint rumoured for the Brynner role.

Not sure how well this neat but limited concept would lend itself to a series as oppose to 2 hour film. And didn't Crichton basically use the same plot for Jurassic Park?

Still, the combination of JJ, HBO and Hopkins (even when phoning it in, he's good value for money) means I'll give it a go anyway.

 

Re: HBO's "Westworld", starring Anthony Hopkins/produced by J.J. Abram

That must be a sigh of contentment.

That Abrams is involved makes it more, rather than less, likely I'll watch it and like it (based, of course, of my great and continually increasing degree of satisfaction every time I watch one of his Trek films).

 

Re: HBO's "Westworld", starring Anthony Hopkins/produced by J.J. Abram

Why not "Pornworld?" It's HBO...

JJ Abrams, for whatever one thinks of his Trek films, makes some good TV. I still wish Alias was on the air.

 

Re: HBO's "Westworld", starring Anthony Hopkins/produced by J.J. Abram

I saw the original Westworld on its release, and it was good at maintaining excitement and keeping you on the edge of your seat. The sequels, not so much. I won't be watching this, though it's because I don't have cable more than anything else.

 

Re: HBO's "Westworld", starring Anthony Hopkins/produced by J.J. Abram

You like Abrams. He doesn't. What's your point?

 

Re: HBO's "Westworld", starring Anthony Hopkins/produced by J.J. Abram

Is this actually a show Abrams is hands-on with or is it a show being made by one of his friends that he's lending his name to in order to help it get made?

 

Re: HBO's "Westworld", starring Anthony Hopkins/produced by J.J. Abram

Cinemax, actually...sometimes referred to as 'skin-e-max.'

 

Re: HBO's "Westworld", starring Anthony Hopkins/produced by J.J. Abram

Where you can shoot people w/o repercussions? Yeah.

 

Re: HBO's "Westworld", starring Anthony Hopkins/produced by J.J. Abram

"The Westworld Assassination of Jesse James by the Robot Coward Robert Ford."

 

Re: HBO's "Westworld", starring Anthony Hopkins/produced by J.J. Abram

According to the article, the co-producers of "Westworld" are frequent Abrams collaborator Bryan Burk, Jonathan Nolan (known for his work with his brother Christopher as well as "Person of Interest"), and Jerry Weintraub (producer of Clooney's Ocean's movies).

So, this basically the same production team from "Person of Interest", supplemented by Weintraub.

 

Re: HBO's "Westworld", starring Anthony Hopkins/produced by J.J. Abram

My point? That I like Abrams' work. If it's okay to announce one's dislike of it, than surely it is just as ok to announce one's appreciation of it.

 

Re: HBO's "Westworld", starring Anthony Hopkins/produced by J.J. Abram

There was only one movie sequel, FutureWorld,and, yeah, it wasn't very good. I barely remember the short-lived TV series.

I figure they're going to have to tweak the plot of the new version some--or clueless people are going to think they're ripping off Jurassic Park!

 

Re: HBO's "Westworld", starring Anthony Hopkins/produced by J.J. Abram

I just hope they don't go overboard with CGI - hopefully there's no reason to. The original is a great, suspenseful film.

 

Re: HBO's "Westworld", starring Anthony Hopkins/produced by J.J. Abram

This surely ought to be a cgi-free zone; the whole point of Westworld (and other attractions in the same venue) would be that it's 'real', physical, not just good stuff on a 3d screen.