Even the Original Westworld Is Leaving HBO Max | Sunset

Westworld, the 1973 film that inspired the HBO series of the same name, will officially leave HBO Max only a few months after its television counterpart.

As is standard each month, HBO Max is set to remove a number of films and TV shows from its catalog. According to TV Guide, 1973’s Westworld, written and directed by Michael Crichton, will be on its way off the platform by the end of April. The film starred Yul Brynner as the “Gunslinger,” a robot attraction at the futuristic theme park “Westworld” which started to develop sentience and began violently attacking the guests. The film was well-received at the time, but developed a stronger cult following in later decades, especially after the launch of HBO’s Westworld in 2016.

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Crichton, who died in 2008, never went on to make another Westworld project. However, two sequels were made in the decade following the release of the original film: Futureworld, a 1976 film directed by Richard T. Heffron, and Beyond Westworld, a short-lived television series in 1980 that ran for about five episodes on CBS.

The premise of the Westworld TV series, which was created by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, was based largely on the film, though it diverged significantly from the movie in its plot, primarily to accommodate its large ensemble cast. Upon the series premiere in October 2016, Westworld developed significant viewership, with the first episode garnering the highest ratings for any premiere on the platform since True Detective in 2014. Westworld Season 1 received significant critical acclaim for its writing, story concepts, thematic depth, and acting. It led to HBO renewing the series for three more seasons, despite being one of the network’s most expensive productions.

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Westworld Canceled After Four Seasons

HBO announced that the fourth season of Westworld would be the last in 2022, concluding its eight-episode run in August of that same year. “Over the past four seasons, Lisa and Jonah have taken viewers on a mind-bending odyssey, raising the bar at every step,” HBO said in its official statement addressing the cancellation. “We are tremendously grateful to them, along with their immensely talented cast, producers and crew, and all of our partners at Kilter Films, Bad Robot and Warner Bros. Television. It’s been a thrill to join them on this journey.”

In December 2022, HBO Max announced that all four seasons of Westworld would be removed from the streaming platform, in the face of several new cutbacks made by the company, now owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. While the series was removed from HBO Max, it was later picked up by Tubi and Roku after the respective companies made licensing deals with Warner Bros. Discovery to carry the content recently cut from HBO Max, including but not limited to The Nevers.

1973’s Westworld will be available to stream on HBO Max until the end of April.

Source: TV Guide