HBO unveils the first official trailer for Westworld season 4 – and it's as mythological and mysterious as you might expect.
Expanding on the dialogue-free teaser that was released in May, the latest promo for the sci-fi series opens on a futuristic cityscape, which checks out given that creators Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan have revealed that several years have passed between the events of the season 3 finale and the season 4 premiere.
"This is a story about a girl," Evan Rachel Wood, back and playing a new character named Christina, narrates. "Every single day she wakes up, the more she sees it and nobody else can. That there's something wrong with the world, and that it's her fault."
"She's a normal woman living in a big city just trying to make it as a writer," Wood previously said of Christina during ATX TV Festival's Closing Night panel. "Nothing ever happens to her. I think that's all I can say."
Later in the clip, Tessa Thompson's Charlotte, who we know is actually a version of Wood's former character Dolores, is seen holding William (Ed Harris) captive. The character, who is sometimes called the Man in Black, had his throat slit by his host counterpart at the end of the previous installment, so it's curious to see him back in his seemingly human form. When Harris was glimpsed in the first teaser, it was easy to assume we were looking at the robotic version of William, but in the new trailer, Charlotte accuses his "kind" of hunting hers, which suggests he's all flesh-and-blood.
"You controlled our every move, and now I'm going to do the same to you. It's time to evolve into the species we were meant to become," she growls. "Maybe it's time you question the nature of your reality," William replies. "We're not here to transcend, we're here to destroy."
Other recognizable players that appear in the footage include Ashley Stubbs (Luke Hemsworth), Caleb Nichols (Aaron Paul), Clementine Pennyfeather (Angela Sarafyan), Bernard Lowe (Jeffrey Wright), and Maeve Millay (Thandiwe Newton). Aurora Perrineau's new character also features, though we don't know any details on her role yet, beyond her teaming up with Stubbs and Bernard to find the maze at the heart of Delos' attractions. Sadly, there was no sign of James Marsden, though he will be back – just perhaps not as Teddy Flood.
At one point in the trailer, we also get a good look at a new theme park, much like Westworld, The Raj or Shogun World, only this time, it looks to be set in the 1930s. Might we see some mobsters causing trouble in season 4? If their Tommy guns are anything to go by, it looks like it.
Based on Michael Crichton's 1973 film of the same name, Westworld returns on Sunday, June 26, and will also stream on HBO Max. In the UK, the dystopian drama is typically shown on Sky and NOW the following day. While we wait, check out our list of the best TV shows of all time for some viewing inspiration.
