Westworld: James Marsden weighs in on disappointing cancellation

Although the writing was probably on the wall, fans were still shocked when HBO announced that they had cancelled Westworld after four seasons. The high-concept, sci-fi series was once one of HBO’s biggest shows, but ratings had dropped considerably over the last two seasons. Still, it’s hard not to mourn the loss of Westworld, especially as creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy had hoped to wrap the series up with the fifth season. James Marsden, who played Theodore “Teddy” Flood on Westworld, told Rolling Stone of his disappointment about the series’ cancellation.

“I’d be lying to you if I told you that the way we ended Westworld wasn’t a disappointment,” James Marsden said. “I’m never going to speak without gratitude about any of my experiences, but it would have been nice to be able to complete the story we wanted to finish.” The actor added that he loves his Westworld family, and that getting to be on the series “was one of those unique opportunities to be part of something where I also would be sitting at home ravenously waiting for the next episode as a fan. I totally understand it’s an expensive show and big shows have to have big audiences to merit the expense, I just wish it was about more than financial success.” As Westworld has been removed from HBO Max, along with many other Warner Bros. projects, its future doesn’t exactly look bright, but James Marsden is hopeful that we’ll get to see the story reach its conclusion somewhere down the road.

Who knows, maybe there’s some world where it can get completed somehow. Maybe that’s just wishful thinking, because I know we had plans to finish it the way we wanted to.

Based on the 1973 movie written and directed by Michael Crichton, Westworld tells a mind-bending story that begins in a technologically advanced Wild West amusement park populated by androids known as hosts who exist purely for high-paying guests to indulge their wildest fantasies. Westworld creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy had hoped for one more season to wrap up the story. “We always planned for a fifth and final season,” Nolan told THR last October. “We are still in conversations with the network. We very much hope to make them.” Joy added, “Jonah and I have always had an ending in mind that we hope to reach. We have not quite reached it yet.“