A new, highly anticipated trailer for Westworld season 2 debuted during Super Bowl LII. The acclaimed HBO drama series is based on the 1973 movie of the same name written and directed by Jurassic Park novelist Michael Crichton. The Westworld TV series also takes inspiration from Westworld‘s theatrical sequel, 1976’s Futureworld, which was helmed by Richard T. Heffron. Unfortunately, neither film was particularly record-breaking, nor was the short-lived 1980 TV series, Beyond Westworld. Still, the concept was intriguing enough for HBO to commission an adaptation.


HBO’s Westworld is loosely based on the previous installments in the Westworld franchise and was developed for television by Lisa Joy (Burn Notice, Pushing Daisies) and Jonathan Nolan (Interstellar, The Dark Knight Trilogy). Moreover, J.J. Abrams (Star Wars, Star Trek) also had a hand in executive producing. With all this talent behind the scenes coupled with all the talent in front of the camera – Anthony Hopkins, Evan Rachel Wood, Jeffrey Wright, Thandie Newton, James Marsden, and more – it’s no wonder Westworld became a bona fide hit when it premiered in 2016. And now, HBO is looking to capture that same magic with Westworld season 2.


HBO unveiled the first official trailer for Westworld season 2 during Super Bowl LII this weekend, showing off the first real footage of the upcoming season, which brings back a number of characters such as Wood’s Dolores Abernathy, Newton’s Maeve Millay, Wright’s Bernard Lowe, Marsden’s Teddy Flood, and of course, Ed Harris’ Man in Black.


Westworld season 1 was a wild adventure – both literally and figuratively – and season 2 is looking to take the series to a whole new level that includes a variety of additional storylines, most of which stem from the first season’s tantalizing cliffhanger. Of course, being an HBO show of this caliber, and one that’s developed and produced by some of the most secretive producers in Hollywood, the new trailer may not offer the whole picture of season 2. It may not even offer a significant portion of the picture either, but that’s what makes it all the more exciting.


Westworld season 2 will undoubtedly spawn a slew of new fan theories – some of which might actually pan out in the end – as well as set up events that can be continued in a potential season 3. After all, the show’s creators have repeatedly discussed expanding the scope of Westworld to include other time periods and locations. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens when Westworld returns to HBO this spring.