Jonathan Nolan Still Hopes He and Lisa Joy Can Finish Their ‘Westworld’ Story ‘Somewhere Down the Line’

HBO’s cancellation of “Westworld” and the subsequent removal of the show from Max is often cited as an example of how hostile the streaming landscape can be for artists. But the show’s co-creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy aren’t ready to give up on the possibility of finishing it.

In a new interview with The Wrap to promote his new Prime Video series “Fallout,” Nolan explained that he’s still holding out hope that they’ll have a chance to complete their planned story at some point. The showrunner said that he and Joy won’t reveal any details about how the show would have ended because they don’t want to spoil any hypothetical future seasons.

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“Our philosophy from the beginning was you make sure each installment, each chapter should be somewhat complete, tell a good story and then you get a chance to keep going,” Nolan said. “But Lisa and I did have an architecture for the series and I’m big on getting a chance to finish these things. I think our hope is still somewhere down the line [for] a chance to revisit that story, and I would hate to have spoiled it now if we get a chance to do so.”

Nolan and Joy’s famous refusal to reveal anything about the show’s planned ending even extends to cast members. Evan Rachel Wood recently revealed that she asked the creators to tell her what her character’s arc would have been but couldn’t persuade them to spill any of their secrets.

“I asked the creators after we got canceled, ‘Can you please just tell me how you’re going to end?’ And they wouldn’t tell me,” she said in a February 2024 interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “I think because, I don’t know, maybe somehow, someway, in some iteration we’ll get to finish it, but I still don’t know. It does still keep me up at night.”

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