HBO doesn't have a monopoly on prestige television, but they are the king of it. The network loves to work with the same people who have proved they have what it takes to make great shows. That includes many of the same great actors who appear on more than one show. Some of these actors have appeared in three or four (or more) shows over the years, but for this list, we're sticking with at least two, usually the ones they are best known for. Actors like Wendell Pierce, Cynthia Nixon, and many more.

Wendell Pierce - The Wire And Treme

Wendell Pierce first broke out as the best-dressed detective in the Baltimore Homicide Unit on The Wire. Pierce's character, Bunk Moreland, appears in every episode of the show. A couple of years after The Wire ended in 2008, the show's creator returned to HBO with Treme, and it was a natural fit to include Pierce, who is a New Orleans native, in the cast.

Carrie Coon - The Gilded Age And The White Lotus

2025 was a huge year for Carrie Coon on HBO. Not only did she return for Season 3 of The Gilded Age as the determined high society lady, Bertha Russell, but she also killed it on the third season of the anthology series The White Lotus. She stole the show with her monologue in the final episode of that show, while continuing to dominate New York society in the 1880s in The Gilded Age.

Steve Buscemi - The Wire And Boardwalk Empire

Steve Buscemi's first appearance on HBO came when he joined the cast of The Sopranos as Tony Blundetto, Tony Soprano's cousin, in Season 5 of the legendary peak TV-era show. He wasn't on the show long, but a couple of years later, he played a much bigger role on Boardwalk Empire. He played the fictional mob boss Nucky Thompson in the period piece created by Sopranos writer Terrance Winter.

Evan Rachel Wood - True Blood And Westworld

Evan Rachel Wood started her career as a talented child actor and made her first appearance on HBO as a recurring character in True Blood. She made an even bigger splash on the network as one of the main characters in Westworld. Wood also appeared in the miniseries Mildred Pierce on HBO.

Alexander Skarsgård - True Blood And Big Little Lies

Alexander Skarsgård is a true HBO regular. His first show for the network, the limited series Generation Kill, aired in 2008 and he returned to the network that same year as a series regular in the vampire hit True Blood. While still starring on that show, he made a one-off appearance in the series finale of Eastbound and Down. He was a main cast member on Big Little Lies, playing a very dark character (and earning an Emmy in the process), before he took on a notable guest-starring role in Succession, earning two more Emmy nominations.

Sydney Sweeney - Euphoria And The White Lotus

Sydney Sweeney burst onto the scene alongside her castmates in the teen drama Euphoria on HBO in 2019 and in 2022, she also appeared in Season 1 of The White Lotus. She earned not one, but two Emmy nominations that year, one for each show.

Edie Falco - Oz And The Sopranos

The HBO show Oz was an early entry in the "peak TV era" from the network, running for six seasons in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The cast of Oz was stacked and included Edie Falco as Officer Diane Whittlesey. That isn't the show she is most famous for on the network, of course. As Falco's time was coming to a close, she landed the role of a lifetime as Carmela Soprano in The Sopranos, and her amazing performances earned her three Emmy awards.

Aidan Gillen - Game Of Thrones And The Wire

Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish in Game of Thrones is one of the great TV villains of all time, and the character was played brilliantly by Aidan Gillen. It wasn't Gillen's first major role on HBO, as that came a few years earlier when he played the ambitious politician Tommy Carcetti on the final three seasons of The Wire.

Cynthia Nixon - And Just Like That And The Gilded Age

itsCynthia Nixon has been a staple on HBO for decades now, starring as Miranda Hobbes in And Just Like That... and it's predecessor. She's also one of the stars of the incredible period drama The Gilded Age as the spinster-turned-wealthy widow Ada Forte, née Brook.

Michiel Huisman - Game Of Thrones And Treme

Treme, which ran for four seasons on HBO, had a whole host of actors who were HBO regulars. Michiel Huisman, who played the musician only known as "Sonny" on the New Orleans-based show, was also starring in a little show called Game of Thrones at the same time on the network, playing Daario Naharis.

Michelle Monaghan - True Detective And The White Lotus

It must be incredibly rewarding for any actor to have the opportunity to star in two anthology shows on HBO. Michelle Monaghan knows exactly how it feels. She first starred in Season 1 of True Detective and, more recently, was part of the stellar cast of Season 3 of The White Lotus.

Michael K. Williams - The Wire And Boardwalk Empire

The late Michael K. Williams left behind an incredible legacy at HBO. He was, of course, one of the most incredible TV characters of all time as Omar Little on The Wire, and he followed that up with a great turn as a gangster in 1920s New Jersey in Boardwalk Empire. Those weren't his only appearances on the network. He popped up in a one-off scene on The Sopranos in 2001, then later in the miniseries The Night Of. His final television credit before his tragic death was on the HBO show Lovecraft Country.

Alexandra Daddario - The White Lotus And True Detective

Before earning an Emmy nomination for her great turn as newlywed Rachel Patton in Season 1 of The White Lotus, Alexandra Daddario had a recurring role on another HBO anthology series, True Detective, during its first season. She even had a cameo early in her career in The Sopranos.

Murray Bartlett - The White Lotus And The Last Of Us

It's easy to see why The White Lotus was such a monster hit when it aired its first season, with Murray Bartlett stealing the show as the hotel manager who gets caught in a serious downward spiral as the show goes on. He's hilarious and heartbreaking at the same time. Later, he was cast in "Long, Long Time," one of the most beloved episodes of The Last of Us, as Frank, the deceased lover of Bill, played by Nick Offerman. While it was only one episode, it was so good that we had to include it here. Bartlett was also a regular cast member on the HBO show Looking.

Danny McBride - Eastbound And Down And The Righteous Gemstones

What is there to be said about Danny McBride's various sitcoms on HBO? After making his name in supporting roles in movies like Pineapple Express and Tropic Thunder, he arrived on HBO in the now-legendary Eastbound and Down. His next hit for the network was Vice Principals alongside Walton Goggins, and then as Jesse Gemstone on The Righteous Gemstones.

Clarke Peters - The Wire And Treme

It's hard to believe that The Wire is one of those shows that never won an Emmy. That goes double for the excellent cast, including the great Clarke Peters, who played Lester Freamon in all five seasons of the show. Like some of his co-stars on the show, he also appeared in Treme on HBO.

Jeanne Tripplehorn - The Gilded Age And Big Love

Jeanne Tripplehorn is a veteran actor whose career stretches back to 1992's Basic Instinct. She was a big part of Big Love on HBO as Bill's only legal wife in the show about polygamy in Utah. Tripplehorn also starred in a recurring role on The Gilded Age as a disgraced high society outcast who happens to be one of the kindest characters on the show. She was also nominated for an Emmy for her role as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in Grey Gardens on HBO.

Jeffrey Wright - Westworld And Boardwalk Empire

Jeffrey Wright is one of the best actors of his generation, and he's had an opportunity to show off just how great he is in multiple HBO shows. First, he won an Emmy for his role in the miniseries Angels in America. Later, he had a recurring role on Boardwalk Empire, before his fantastic turn on Westworld, for which he was nominated for three more Emmys, but sadly didn't win one. In 2025, he reprised his voice role in The Last of Us video game in the HBO adaptation.

Jamie-Lynn Sigler - The Sopranos And Entourage

Jamie-Lynn Sigler occupies an interesting spot here. Of course, she's best known for her role as Meadow Soprano on The Sopranos. Her next role on HBO came in a role that was a fictionalized version of herself dating Turtle in Entourage.

Walton Goggins - Vice Principals And The White Lotus

Walton Goggins has been one of the hardest-working actors in Hollywood for many years, and in 2025, he really upped his profile with his fantastic performance in Season 3 of The White Lotus. It was his third major show on HBO after Vice Principals and The Righteous Gemstones.

Lena Headey - Game Of Thrones And The White House Plumbers

She played one of the greatest villains of all time on Game of Thrones, and Lena Headey returned to HBO in 2023 in the underrated miniseries The White House Plumbers, where she played Dorothy Hunt, wife of one of the Watergate burglars, E. Howard Hunt.

Pedro Pascal - Game Of Thrones And The Last Of Us

Like a lot of actors, Pedro Pascal put in a ton of work early in his career with one-off roles in every show you can imagine. Then, in 2014, he was cast as Oberyn Martell on Game of Thrones, and his career blew up. More recently, he's been breaking hearts on The Last of Us on HBO.

Indira Varma - Game Of Thrones And Rome

The Game of Thrones cast was absolutely stacked, including the great Indira Varma, who played Ellaria Sand in 13 episodes of the show. That wasn't her first time in an HBO show, however. In 2005, she starred as Niobe in two seasons of Rome, the incredibly underrated (and expensive to produce) historical drama created by John Milius.

Jim True-Frost - The Wire And Treme

Jim True-Frost's character in The Wire has one of the most interesting character arcs on a show full of great arcs. His performance as Roland Pryzbylewski was, like so many others on the show, nothing short of excellent. Like others on The Wire, True-Frost also starred in Treme. He even had a cameo in Boardwalk Empire as legendary lawman Eliot Ness.

Kim Dickens - Deadwood And Treme

Kim Dickens has a stellar television resume, and two jewels on that CV are both HBO shows. First, she was one of the main characters, Joanie, in Deadwood. Later, she starred on Treme.

John Hawkes - Deadwood And Eastbound And Down

The original cast of Deadwood was a bunch of heavyweights, including John Hawkes, who played Sol throughout the run of the show. A few years later, the versatile actor returned to HBO in a completely different kind of role as the brother of Kenny Powers in Eastbound & Down. Most recently, he put in a fantastic performance in Season 4 of the anthology series True Detective.

Rose Leslie - Game Of Thrones And The Time Traveler's Wife

The Time Traveler's Wife is one of the more under-the-radar shows in HBO history. Rose Leslie led the cast of the show that was canceled after one season, despite a passionate fanbase. Of course, Leslie first became a star on HBO as Ygritte on Game of Thrones.

Bobby Cannavale - Boardwalk Empire And Vinyl

Bobby Cannavale really made his name on HBO as the volatile gangster Gyp Rosetti in Boardwalk Empire, though his first gig on the network was in a small role on Six Feet Under. After Boardwalk Empire, he teamed up with the creators of Vinyl, starring in the lone season of the short-lived show.

Edi Patterson - The Righteous Gemstones And Vice Principals

The Righteous Gemstones and Vice Principals are two shows that were perfect for Edi Patterson. She's wonderful at playing quirky characters, fitting in great with the cast of both of those shows.

Domenick Lombardozzi - The Wire And Boardwalk Empire

Herc in The Wire is an obnoxious character that is hard to love, but Domenick Lombardozzi's performance charms everyone who watches the show. He repeated the feat later on Boardwalk Empire.

Regina King - Watchmen And The Leftovers

If anyone on this list needs no introduction, it's the great Regina King. She is a force of nature in everything she does, including two excellent HBO shows, The Leftovers and the one-and-done Season of Watchmen.

Michael Imperioli - The Sopranos And The White Lotus

Some people might remember Michael Imperioli as Spider in Goodfellas, but most will first know him as Christopher Moltisanti, Tony's frustrating nephew in The Sopranos. He returned to HBO in Season 2 of The White Lotus and once again reminded fans of the network how great he can be.

Some of our best horror movies have been centered around characters who just so happen to be legendary creatures of the night: vampires. And, because of the enduring popularity of these mythological bloodsuckers, not only do we also have a number of TV vamps, but many famous actors who’ve portrayed some version of the famed, usually-human-looking beasts. Here for you now are 32 actors who’ve played a vampire.

Eddie Murphy (Vampire In Brooklyn)

So many vamps have been seen on screen that even a comedy and action movie legend like Eddie Murphy has played one. The 1995 horror comedy, Vampire in Brooklyn, saw the star play the last member of a group of Caribbean vampires, who hits New York to find a mate so that he can continue his family line.

Tom Cruise (Interview With The Vampire)

Who could forget the 1994 film that gave us Tom Cruise as the captivating and cruel (And blond!) bloodthirsty fiend, Lestat de Lioncourt, from author Anne Rice’s legendary novel series, The Vampire Chronicles? Of course, it also gave us Brad Pitt’s tortured vamp, Louis, and made a star out of young Kirsten Dunst.

Dakota Fanning (The Twilight Saga: New Moon, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse)

While there are some obvious stars to add to this list, let us not forget that the cast of famous (and soon-to-be-famous) vampires in The Twilight Saga films was quite stacked. That roster included noted child star Dakota Fanning, who portrayed the villainous Volturi guard member, Jane, who was able to mentally create sensations of pain in those who she deemed worthy of punishment.

Evan Rachel Wood (True Blood)

Several vampire-focused TV shows have hit the airwaves over the past 20 or so years, so we would be remiss if we didn’t mention the HBO hit, True Blood. Many of its stars portrayed members of vamp-kind for most or all of the series’ seven seasons, but Evan Rachel Wood made an equally impressive (bloody) splash as the Vampire Queen of Louisiana, Sophie-Anne Leclerq, during her recurring guest appearances in Seasons 2-4.

Robert Pattinson (Twilight)

Back to Twilight! It’s not worth mentioning this franchise without bringing up lead romantic vamp Edward Cullen, as well as the man who brought him to life in five movies, eventuall live action Batman actor Robert Pattinson. Despite the fact that his love interest’s portrayer, Kristen Stewart, would have dumped Edward “immediately”!

Chloë Grace Moretz (Let Me In)

It’s possible that we don’t get creepier than kid vampires in movies and television shows, and that’s what we got with Chloë Grace Moretz’s Abby in the 2010 film, Let Me In. She befriends a young loner after moving into his apartment complex, but is (you guessed it) hiding nefarious purposes he could have never guessed, which end up taking his life in a most unexpected direction.

Salma Hayek (From Dusk Till Dawn)

This might be the shortest movie vampire appearance on the list, as 1996’s From Dusk Til Dawn saw Salma Hayek play the fanged exotic dancer, Santanico Pandemonium, only for about five memorable minutes that simply cannot be forgotten once witnessed.

Taika Waititi (What We Do In The Shadows)

Undead life isn’t always filled with glamorous globe-hopping adventure, gorgeous mates who can’t resist you and other perks, at least according to 2014’s What We Do in the Shadows, which concerns the rather mundane day-to-day lives of vampire roommates, of whom Taika Waititi’s uptight and nearly 400-year-old vamp, Viago, is among.

Theo James (Underworld: Awakening, Underworld: Blood Wars)

Another big screen franchise that depended on heaps of stars to populate its supernatural world is that of Underworld. Two sequels saw Theo James play the heroic vampire, David, heir to one of the main vamp covens, and lead Selene’s one steadfast ally during an important time in her journey.

Willem Dafoe (Shadow Of The Vampire)

Not many cinematic vampires are said to be based on a real person, but the one played by Willem Dafoe in 2000’s Shadow of the Vampire is. He portrayed a fictionalized version of the real Nosferatu lead actor, Max Schreck, whom the crew begins to suspect is an actual vampire because of his behavior and the strange goings-on surrounding filming.

Gerard Butler (Dracula 2000)

Speaking of vampires who are based on real people…Author Bram Stoker based his Dracula on Vlad the Impaler, and Gerard Butler played yet another version of the ever-popular character in a film from, yes, 2000. This tale sees the ancient vamp accidentally awoken by a group of thieves who find and steal his highly protected coffin, which had been watched over by generations of the Van Helsing family.

Wesley Snipes (Blade)

A Marvel character that will soon have another portrayer when the upcoming Blade reboot finally begins filming, the original action/horror trilogy famously saw Wesley Snipes take on the vampire/human hybrid titular lead, who’s a nearly unstoppable vamp hunter bent on taking down all members of the species who bit his mother and infected him with their supernatural blood while he was still in utero.

Colin Farrell (Fright Night)

If a scary and suave undead night stalker is your type, look no further than Colin Farrell’s Jerry Dandrige in 2011’s remake of the 1985 cult classic, Fright Night. He may have to eventually do battle with a couple of teenagers, but he sure looks darn good doing it.

Ethan Hawke (Daybreakers)

A movie that takes a more science-fiction approach to a world overrun by vampires is the 2009 film Daybreakers, which sees Ethan Hawke play a vamp hematologist who refuses to drink human blood and is looking for a synthetic option to their usual meal of choice that will stop humanity from being wiped out by his more brutal peers.

Luke Evans (Dracula Untold)

Again with Dracula? Why, yes! This time, Luke Evans plays a Vlad the Impaler who only becomes a vampire to have the strength, speed and ferocity to turn back an invading army in an attempt to save the people of his kingdom. Does it work out for him? Well, yes…and no.

Kate Beckinsale (Underworld)

There’s no mentioning the Underworld franchise without giving respect to the main heroine, Kate Beckinsale’s Selene. In the first film she’s a vampire looking to destroy the werewolves that killed her family, but she ends up uncovering a major secret about the two sets of creatures and falling in love with a human, instead.

Alicia Silverstone (Vamps)

This 2012 horror comedy sees Alicia Silverstone play Goody, an old vampire who tries to stay young and hip while helping her much younger bloodsucking buddy, Stacy (Krysten Ritter), get used to her powers as they try to abstain from the red stuff during their immortal and unholy (sorta) lives.

Pedro Pascal (Bloodsucking Bastards)

Ever wondered what working in an office that was slowly being overrun by vampires who care as much about the bottom line as they do about drinking blood would be like? Just watch Bloodsucking Bastards, where beloved The Last of Us cast member Pedro Pascal begins turning his employees into the titular immortals.

Jim Carrey (Once Bitten)

Jim Carrey’s first leading role came in this 1985 comedy, where he played a teen virgin turned into a vampire by an alluring, 400-year-old creature of the night, who seduced him so she could use his blood to keep her youthful appearance.

Paul Reubens (Buffy The Vampire Slayer)

In the 1992 horror comedy that eventually led to the long-running series of the same name, the late Paul Reubens starred as Amilyn, a vamp doing the bidding of a much more powerful bloodsucker who’s ruling his kind in Los Angeles.

Alexander Skarsgård (True Blood)

While HBO’s True Blood was positively filled with the undead, few of them made as much of an impact on audiences (and the lead, Sookie) as Alexander Skarsgård’s cunning and alluring (but sorta evil) 1,000-year-old Eric Northman. This also happens to be the role that really made Skarsgård famous.

David Boreanaz (Buffy, Angel)

When it comes to popular TV vampires, no one can discount the reign of David Boreanaz as evil vamp turned heroic vamp (and then sometimes evil vamp again) Angel, whom he played on Buffy the Vampire Slayer beginning with the first episode in 1997, through wrapping his run on the fifth season series finale of his own show, Angel, in 2004.

Sterling K. Brown (Supernatural)

Sterling K. Brown may best be known now for delivering heartfelt emotions as Randall Pearson on This Is Us, but for four episodes across Seasons 2 and 3 of the CW mega-hit, Supernatural, he played Hunter and dedicated vamp-hater-turned-vampire, Gordon Walker, to astounding, understandably cold-blooded effect.

Kiefer Sutherland (The Lost Boys)

Even though Kiefer Sutherland was certainly a star on the rise by the time he starred in The Lost Boys in 1987, his part as apparent vampire motorcycle gang leader David cemented his leading man qualities and turned him into a household name.

Rami Malek (The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part II)

Sure, Bohemian Rhapsody is one of the best Rami Malek movies to watch, but let’s not discount his turn as the powerful (and ancient) Egyptian vampire, Benjamin, in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part II, one of the few creatures of the night in the franchise who can directly manipulate things, with his specialty being controlling fire, water, air and earth.

Bryce Dallas Howard (The Twilight Saga: Eclipse)

Yet another actor you may have forgotten was fanged in the expansive Twilight franchise is Jurassic World star Bryce Dallas Howard. She took over the role of evil, vengeful vamp Victoria (who’s looking to kill Bella in retaliation for Edward killing her love, James) from Rachelle Lefevre, for the third movie, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.

Tilda Swinton (Only Lovers Left Alive)

As one half of the very old vampire couple at the center of the 2013 dramedy, Only Lovers Left Alive, Tilda Swinton is a wife forced to visit the husband (played by Tom Hiddleston) she’s long been separated from once she realizes his lengthy undead existence has begun to bring him down, as she tries to force him to reevaluate the value of living forever.

Bill Nighy (Underworld, Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans)

Every good vampire needs a parental figure to show them the ropes, and for Underworld’s Selene, that role was filled by Viktor, who was portrayed by Love, Actually star Bill Nighy. His Vampire Elder turned out to be more of a threat than the heroine ever expected, though, leading to some tense moments between Selene and her mentor.

Gary Oldman (Bram Stoker's Dracula) 

Back to Drac! One of the most popular films about the character is still 1992’s Bram Stoker's Dracula, which saw eventual Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban star Gary Oldman play Vlad Dracula.

Christopher Meloni (True Blood)

Where there is one vampire there are generally enough to have a whole hierarchy among their brethren, and as with the series True Blood, sometimes we get to see what that could look like. In Season 5, Law & Order: SVU and Organized Crime star Christopher Meloni portrayed the Guardian, Roman Zimojic, who led the Vampire Authority and (ostensibly) set the rules for all vamps. Many, however, didn’t agree with his desire to have his kind fit in with human society, which caused a lot of problems for the calm, determined and deadly when challenged leader.

Nicolas Cage (Renfield)

If you guessed that this is yet another Dracula story, well, you’re sort of correct. 2023’s horror comedy, Renfield, stars Nicholas Hoult as the count’s titular long-time familiar, who’s tired of helping him kill innocent people and all the abuse he’s taken from the being who gifted him with immortality, as well as super strength and speed (when he eats bugs) 90 years prior. So, he gets help from a support group for people in codependent relationships in order to be able to live his own life again. Nicolas Cage is our Dracula here, and he’s a perfectly winking one, who still manages to be creepy and deadly.

Johnny Depp (Dark Shadows)

Johnny Depp has become known for his outrageous characters, and his Barnabas Collins is no different. The 2012 Dark Shadows film (which was based on the 1966-1971 gothic daytime drama of the same name) follows Barnabas after he’s cursed with vampirism in 1760, buried alive in a coffin, and then accidentally freed in the early 1970s. He rejoins the Collins family at the estate they still hold, while trying to keep his true nature a secret, but hijinks ensue as his past comes back to haunt them. 

This, of course, is just a small sampling of the famous actors who've portrayed vampires over the years, but if you decide to do a vamp movie/TV show marathon, you can start right here and have hours of entertainment.

Warning: SPOILERS for a cameo in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story are in play. If you’re looking to avoid such knowledge, this is a friendly warning.

Typically, people will tell you “truth is stranger than fiction.” Those people clearly don’t know the humor of Weird Al Yankovic, especially when it comes to the fiction he and co-writer/director Eric Appel have pumped into the new movie release Weird: The Al Yankovic Story. 

With the Roku Channel original now streaming for the masses, it feels like a good time to reflect on some of the most ridiculous moments from this faux biopic. More specifically, I’d like to draw attention to the scenes that stars Evan Rachel Wood and Daniel Radcliffe highlighted as their absolute favorites. As spirits were high during the press day for this wild/critically-enjoyed comedy, it was clear that this was one of the best questions to ask in the moment. 

I say this because upon asking that very question, Wood doubled over for a brief moment with pure laughter. After composing herself, but still smiling about the Weird memories this query had triggered, Evan Rachel Wood described her favorite moment of absurdity to CinemaBlend as follows:

If you’re sensitive to plot and/or cameo spoilers for Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, feel free to skip ahead a couple of paragraphs. I say this because while it’s a sin to spoil anything that happens in this movie, the context of the moment above is key to why the moment gives Evan Rachel Wood such joy. 

The scene in question is one of the first dates that Al and Madonna go out on in their fictional relationship, purely cooked up as part of Eric Appel’s original Funny or Die short. With a crucial call coming during their dinner date, Weird Al is eventually informed that Michael Jackson is about to drop a new single parodying “Eat It,” Al’s latest musical triumph. Through this emotional journey, Daniel Radcliffe’s exaggerated portrayal of Weird Al wails on a host’s stand with the receiver, obviously mad such news has come his way. 

What’s even worse is, as Evan Rachel Wood described above, Al takes out part of his frustrations on a poor waiter trying to serve him food. Slapping down his Filet Mignon in anger, the man trying to serve Al is played by none other than singing superstar/comedic jokester Josh Groban. 

He’s just one of the many notable cameos you’ll see in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story. So if you happened to have this moment spoiled for you, there’s plenty more where that came from, one of which involves a star of the original Weird comedy short.

Speaking of more ridiculousness, Daniel Radcliffe’s pick for his favorite moment of absurdity is something that isn’t as spoilery. If you’ve seen Weird: The Al Yankovic Story’s trailer, you know of the moment where his Weird Al is seen in a moment where he’s jamming out on a guitar. That may not sound ridiculous on its own, but when that scene involves a drug trip where Al sees himself breaking out of a gooey egg, the line is absolutely crossed. 

As you’ll read below, the entirety of Weird made it hard for Radcliffe to even pick a moment to describe: 

There’s plenty to like about Weird, no matter what sort of audience member you are. If you’re looking for how many cameos you can count, it’s going to be fun to see how many you get on the first try. Should you be a person who likes to see just how absurd a movie can get with its premise, that too will be on display. 

And if you’re someone who buys into that whole package, with room for some more surprises as the film goes on, you’re practically ready to watch Weird: The Al Yankovic story! Which you can totally do, free of ads, courtesy of The Roku Channel. Not to mention, if you want to add some more fun to your entertainment diet, Weird Al’s previous cinematic triumph UHF is also available on that same platform.

Fans of HBO’s Westworld were delivered a shock late last week, when the award-winning dystopian sci-fi drama was canceled ahead of its fifth season. Despite its twisty plots and exciting commentary on humanity vs. artificial intelligence, Westworld was apparently the victim of an aggressive cost-cutting mandate enacted by the network. The series’ big budget, combined with declining ratings over the past two seasons, proved to be its downfall, but it turns out the A+ cast members are still going to get paid.

Deadline reports that Westworld’s actors had “pay-or-play deals” for Season 5, ensuring that the cast — which includes Aaron Paul, Evan Rachel Wood, Thandiwe Newton, Ed Harris, James Marsden, Tessa Thompson and Jeffrey Wright — will still be paid, despite the cancellation. The site reports that contracts may have been renegotiated ahead of Season 4, and that networks making such guarantees to its actors is not unusual, particularly for ensemble casts that might be difficult to reassemble otherwise.

HBO is expected to pay out between $10 million and $15 million to the actors, which is still considerably more financially feasible than paying for another season, as THR reports that Season 4 cost “at least $160 million” to make what turned out to be its final eight episodes.

Despite ratings for Westworld dropping for 2020’s Season 3, and falling further two years later when it returned from pandemic-related delays, co-creator Jonathan Nolan said he’d always planned for a fifth and final season. It’s terribly frustrating for fans, including myself, to know there was a plan that would bring the often-confusing storylines to a conclusion, and now we will likely never get to see that play out.

Over its four seasons, the series accumulated 54 Primetime Emmy nominations, taking home nine trophies. There’s no question the HBO drama has made its mark on the TV world, with another good benchmark of that being the fact that it was brilliantly parodied in The Simpsons’ annual Halloween “Treehouse of Horror” episode this year.

As the actors will still collect a check from HBO, we can keep up with them through their other projects. Evan Rachel Wood can currently be seen with a spot-on portrayal of Madonna on The Roku Channel’s Weird: The Al Yankovic Story. And following Teddy’s surprising return to Westworld Season 4, you can take a look at any of James Marsden’s best movies and TV shows.

There may not be any more stories from the Divine on their way, but the first four seasons of Westworld are still available to stream for fans with an HBO Max subscription. You can also check out some of HBO Max’s best original series, and see what’s coming to cable and streaming for the rest of the year with our 2022 TV schedule. 

“Weird: The Al Yankovich Story” stars Daniel Radcliffe (Weird Al Yankovic), Evan Rachel Wood (Madonna) and writer/director Eric Appel discuss their new biopic in this interview with CinemaBlend's Mike Reyes. They talk about the film’s most absurd moments, how they scored their awesome cameos, and just how much of Madonna’s persona was truly based on the pop-star.

Video Chapters

00:00 - Intro
00:22 - The Advice Weird Al Gave Daniel Radcliffe On Set
01:25 - The Absurd Moments That Were Cut From “Weird”
03:07 - Which Aspects Of Madonna Were Reality And Which Were Fiction
04:13 - The Cameo That Aaron Paul Was Supposed To Play In “Weird”
04:44 - How “Weird” Scored So Many Cameos
05:45 - The Most Ridiculous Moments In “Weird,” According To Evan Rachel Wood and Daniel Radcliffe
06:50 - Whether Or Not “Weird” Will Come To Theaters
07:45 - Evan Rachel Wood and Daniel Radcliffe Are Complimented On Their Making Out

When Daniel Radcliffe was announced as the choice to portray the wacky, accordion-playing parody musician "Weird" Al Yankovic in the upcoming comedic biopic Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, it’s hard to say whose fans were more surprised. However, the movie’s premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival seemed to have the audience buying in as much as the actors in their fully unhinged performances, and isn’t “weird” what we’re signing up for anyway? With the movie set to premiere on the Roku Channel on November 4, let’s take a look at what the critics are saying.

Alongside the Harry Potter alum, Evan Rachel Wood stars as Madonna — giving a spot-on impression in the trailer — and Rainn Wilson as Dr. Demento, with apparently a number of cameos that are likely more fun if I don’t list them here. The film intentionally exaggerates the events of the titular artist’s life for the sake of comedy, so let’s see what critics think about the final product, starting with CinemaBlend’s review of Weird: The Al Yankovic Story. Mike Reyes rates the movie 4 stars out of 5, saying "Weird" Al fans finally have a worthy successor to UHF: 

CinemaBlend managing editor Sean O’Connell and Mike Reyes broke down the movie after its TIFF premiere, where they discussed Daniel Radcliffe and Evan Rachel Wood’s performances, teased some cameos, and described the whole atmosphere (which included a flash mob). Check out their breakdown: 

Alan Ng of Film Threat echoes CinemaBlend’s sentiments that the less you know about the movie going in, the better. This critic rates Weird 8.5 out of 10, calling it the funniest film he’s seen this year “by far,” promising loads of gut-busting moments: 

Tessa Smith of Mama’s Geeky rates the movie 3.5 out of 5, saying that the best part of the movie is seeing Daniel Radcliffe having the time of his life, even if the humor does start to get repetitive toward the end. The critic says: 

Vikram Murthi of IndieWire grades the Roku Original a B-, and like many other critics, noted the tonal similarities to Judd Apatow’s 2007 comedy Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. This review states: 

Leah Greenblatt of EW gives Weird the grade of a B, saying its star is fully committed to the role and carries the movie, despite the “celebrity whack-a-mole” of cameos. She says: 

This movie may have started out as a Funny or Die sketch, but, 12 years later, that fake trailer is about to hit our screens. You can check out Weird: The Al Yankovic Story on the Roku Channel on Friday, November 4, and if you’re ready for another trip to the theater, be sure to check out our 2022 Movie Release Schedule to see what’s coming soon.

As soon as it was announced that Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe was set to play pop icon Weird Al Yankovic, it was a given he’d be the center of attention for this movie. However, he’ll be sharing the spotlight with another phenomenal entertainer: Evan Rachel Wood, who will give her spot-on performance as Madonna. The Westwood actress discussed the fun way she prepared for Madonna in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.

You may remember the Madonna-parodied song “Like a Surgeon,” which was featured in How I Met Your Mother, one of Weird Al Yankovic’s TV appearances. You’ll get to hear it again in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, and Evan Rachel Wood explained to People at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival the “fun” way she got to prepare for her amusing role.

Evan Rachel Wood’s flawless impression of Madonna in the fictionalized biopic trailer says it all. She expressed that this project was so much fun for her that she was afraid she’d only want to do comedies next! Imagine the opportunity to go on set each day with that teased hair, wild outfits and glamorous makeup to play the popular ‘80s icon. The only thing Wood was disappointed about was not being able to keep those classic outfits of Madonna’s. Well, she’ll always have the memories of being one of the first “lucky stars” to play Madonna, as Emmy winner Julie Garner is next to take on that role in Madonna’s own biopic.

If there’s anything we can agree about Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, it’s that everyone in the cast is sure to bring their A-game. The Across the Universe star told Entertainment Weekly that in one scene, she was told to portray the “sociopathic” version of the “Material Girl” singer “on a lot of cocaine” as she uses Weird Al to get ahead in her career. Daniel Radcliffe was impressed with Wood’s performance in “committing a thousand percent” to the role. We’re in for some good fun with these characters as soon as the opening credits start.

Director Eric Appel hasn’t heard any reactions yet from the real Madonna about the movie. The Thirteen star hoped Madonna's good sense of humor would be enough for her to enjoy it, and Radcliffe agreed, as the 64-year-old singer would have the privilege to see her portrayed by the talented Emmy nominee.

It’s always a good sign when an actress talks about how much fun she had playing a role. We’ll be able to see the spark and energy of Evan Rachel Wood in the upcoming movie Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, which comes to the Roku Channel on November 4th. 

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story starring Daniel Radcliffe, Evan Rachel Wood and Rainn Wilson took the Toronto International Film Festival by storm this week, and our very own Mike Reyes is here to give his full, spoiler-free review.

Video Chapters:

00:00 - Intro

00:56 - An Incredible, Quirky Cast of Characters

03:37 - All-Star Cameos

04:54 - An Instant Midnight Classic

06:37 - Star Rating & Outro

Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe grew up before the public's eyes during his tenure playing the Boy Who Lived. And in the years since the franchise concluded, he's kept busy with a variety of projects that helped him never be typecast. There's been a ton of anticipation for Roku's upcoming biopic playing Weird Al Yankovic. The first trailer for Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is chock full of musical numbers and Evan Rachel Wood's spot-on Madonna impression.

Ever since it was announced that Daniel Radcliffe would be playing Weird Al Yankovic, anticipation for Roku's upcoming movie Weird has been steadily building. Now we can finally see some of Radcliffe's performance, which should include a variety of the titular artist's songs. Although he's not the only one doing an amazing impression in this footage. Check out the trailer for yourself above.

The trailer for Weird: The Al Yankovic Story opens with some backstory about the titular character. We see him an outsider from the start, thanks to his unique interests like the accordion. Eventually Daniel Radcliffe appears, and comes up with the idea to write new lyrics to songs that already exist. And just like that, a musical star is born.

From there, we get to meet some of the rest of the movie's starry cast. The Office icon Rainn Wilson as Dr. Demento, who was one of the people who helped Weird Al get some real notice. We see as he helps name the burgeoning office, in a wild costume that only Wilson himself could pull off.

Shortly after Rainn Wilson appears in the trailer for Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, we see yet another familiar face: Westworld actress Evan Rachel Wood. She enters as the one and only Madonna, doing a subtle but super accurate impression of the pop star's vocal cadence. The look is also on point, and I have to wonder what Madge might think of this portrayal if she sees the trailer. 

Other familiar faces from the cast of Weird: The Al Yankovic Story include Halt and Catch Fire actor Toby Huss and Emmy winning Mare of Easttown actress Julianne Nicholson. Glass actor Spencer Treat Clark and Glee's Dot-Marie Jones also have roles in the upcoming Roku project.

This first trailer for Weird should only help to increase anticipation for the upcoming biopic, which is set to be available to stream this coming fall. Given all this excitement about Daniel Radcliffe's performance, this might end up being The Roku Channel's biggest release yet. We'll just have to wait and see how many people tune in to see the Harry Potter belt out classics from Weird Al Yankovic's opus. 

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story will be released on November 4th, following its initial debut at TIFF. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

There’s another defamation case currently playing out. Following the verdict in the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard trial, interest in celebrity lawsuits still seems to be at a high. For those keeping tabs, another defamation suit has been filed by Marilyn Manson after his ex Evan Rachel Wood accused the singer of abuse years after speaking out in front of a judiciary committee as a victim of abuse. Online social media users seem to be trending toward following the happenings of this new suit, particularly after a 6,000 page unsealed doc was released in the Depp case which also brought Manson to the forefront. 

We already know there was high interest in the Amber Heard and Johnny Depp trial when it played out. Fans on TikTok became so engrossed in the trial, Depp created a TikTok to thank the fans for their support after it ended. Deep dives of the Manson/Wood case are also being done on TikTok and elsewhere and seeing thousands of views.

Many Twitter and YouTube users also gained followings during the trial, with a report over at Insider citing several accounts that were interested in and blew up during the events of the Heard and Depp case now pivoting to Marilyn Manson.

That outlet also recently spoke with Rachel Gevlin, who teaches at Birmingham-Southern College and who said she would not be surprised to see similar things happen with Marilyn Manson and Evan Rachel Wood should that particular case play out in court. Her reasoning? 

Emphasizing this possibility further is the fact that Marilyn Manson and Johnny Depp know one another and the singer's name came up in the other case. Manson never took the stand; however, text messages Johnny Depp had sent him played a role in the recently unsealed documents. In court, Depp was even asked about his relationship with Manson, noting they “done drugs together” a few times. Some of the same audience that was interested in the Depp/Heard trial could be interested in this case.

Similar to Amber Heard getting trolled during and after she fought with her ex in court, a petition already exists to ban Evan Rachel Wood from social media, though it’s worth noting its thousand plus signatures pales in comparison to petitions about Amber Heard. One petition requesting Amber Heard be removed from Aquaman 2 has garnered over 4.6 million signatures. 

In a separate interview over at Indiewire, #MeToo attorney Lee Feldman told that outlet that the Manson situation could play out very differently given the accusations and how the singer is perceived in pop culture.

Marilyn Manson has denied claims made by Evan Rachel Wood and others, but the accusations have cost him work. His former record label removed his work from its website and he lost a role on the Starz series American Gods he had previously been a part of as part of his semi-regular acting career. In the meantime, the singer hasn’t shied away from controversy. Earlier this year, Manson was asked to remove a video depicting sexual assault from his YouTube page. 

Major spoilers below for anyone who hasn’t yet watched Westworld Season 4’s second episode, so be warned!

After making its long-awaited return with a surprisingly straightforward premiere (at least when compared to some of its more confounding installments), HBO’s Westworld delivered more enjoyably low-impact progression with the second episode of Season 4. Which isn’t to imply the sci-fi thriller is moving slowly or has become boring, but rather to celebrate the showrunners for introducing mysteries that spark legibly formed questions instead of flat-out confusion. 

“Well Enough Alone” featured some major character/actor returns that no doubt delighted viewers, while also putting its main stars into various interesting and troublesome situations that will no doubt get increasingly more complicated as the season goes forward. So let’s take a look at the four biggest takeaways from Westworld’s latest, starting with a brand new Delos Destination! 

Westworld Introduced Its Newest Park: The Golden Age 

Westworld co-creators Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan are no doubt keen on knowing just how obsessed viewers are with the idea of new parks being introduced. As fans will remember, Season 2 brought in Shōgunworld and The Raj, while Season 3 brought audiences inside Warworld (and also hinted at a medieval, dragon-filled Game of Thrones-esque park, as well as a Jurassic Park-inspired dino area). Even though viewers still aren’t quite clear on the current state of Delos after the seven-year jump, it appears things are going quite well, given the opening of the company’s newest Destination: The Golden Age.

This newest attraction was stumbled upon by Maeve and Caleb, who were assisted just by returning actress Lili Simmons, and it’s assumed that her character Sofia is as much as host as her prior character New Clementine was. The Golden Age appears to be recreating the U.S. in the 1920s, give or take a few years, with jazzy tunes and golden light bulbs aplenty, from marquee signs to street lamps to the headlights of classic cars. Though none of the other first-time visitors were showcased, I can’t help but feel like there were some very important people on that train.

The Golden Age was partly bankrolled by the U.S. government, with the Vice President now a host puppet for Man in Black and others, and that’s presumably not the extent of such professional relationships. Perhaps most interestingly so far, the location depicted in The Golden Age is “Temperance,” which either suggests that it’ll be an alcohol-free establishment fitting for the time period, or that the town will feature a variety of speakeasies for its guests to get liquored up in. Either way, depraved sex and violence are likely the end results.

Christine’s Peter Mystery Is Somehow More Complicated Than Expected 

To be expected, Christine has something of an epiphany after watching “Peter” throw himself off a building to his death, and remembers having crafted a game story similar to his. (Not exactly the same as the presumed-dead Dolores having memory flashes from earlier loops, but not entirely dissimilar, either.) While on her way to the mental facility namechecked in Peter’s obituary, she listens back to her notes on the story, which basically matched up with the “real life” character. Since that reveal was already telegraphed, it served as window dressing for the actual twist, for lack of a better word, that came shortly after. 

When Christine arrived at the facility, she found it to not only be empty — I’m curious about that group of possible contractors and buyers in hard hats — but more or less abandoned. It’s hard to tell exactly how long the building would have been sitting empty, but all the leaves and whatnot implied many months, if not years. Coupled with the discovery of the “Peter Myers Wing” dedication plaque, the Hope center hinted at some major timeline fuckery happening.

Even if Christine was correct in guessing there were two different Peter Myers at play, it still wouldn’t explain how a fund was started there in Peter’s name after his death, unless that obit detail was falsified. But it definitely looked like the place that Peter would have spent a lot of time, given the room that Christine looked into with all those drawings of what’s assumedly the Tower that keeps getting mentioned. And it’s the same design that’s featured in the opening sequence as composer Ramin Djawadi’s credit comes up. 

Charlotte Hale Returned, And She Apparently Doesn’t Just Want To Kill All Humans 

As frightening as Ed Harris’ Man in Black is without any human morals, he’s still just a worker bee following the orders of a higher power, and Charlotte Hale made her Season 4 debut in true Westworld fashion: through a host’s remotely accessed memory bank. Maeve discovered that Charlotte spearheaded hosts replacing a U.S. senator and his wife (as portrayed by guest stars Jack Coleman and Saffron Burrows, respectively). It appears her efforts to take over the world hadn’t exactly faded away over time, which wasn’t too shocking to learn.

But Charlotte doesn’t appear to be your everyday TV big bad, and not only due to her synthetic origins. While many plot-minded villains don’t give a second thought to the body count required to reach their overall goals, Charlotte’s plan doesn’t hinge on killing all humans and populating the planet with hosts, at least not at this point in the process. As a being who doesn’t age, she naturally has more patience than those with blood flowing through their veins. One of her motivations, as discussed below, revolves around an “eye for an eye” sense of revenge, but that doesn’t seem to be her only exception. 

Charlotte made good on not killing the Senator’s wife, and it can be assumed that Anastasia was useful for the research Charlotte alluded to. It can also be assumed that Charlotte’s research-acquiring methods completely broke Anastasia’s brain. At least, that’s what I gathered from her being covered in blood and slicing up a dead horse’s stomach when Maeve and Caleb discovered her in the barn. But we won’t be finding out what happened to her, since Maeve shot her in the head during her attempt to stab Caleb. 

William Confirmed To Be Still Alive, Though Imprisoned 

One of the Season 3 finale’s post-credit scenes finally addressed one of Westworld’s biggest ongoing questions, with the Man in Black host slitting the throat of his human counterpart William. It was unclear what happened in the aftermath, since we didn’t technically see William die, and the series surprisingly didn’t keep us guessing for very long, as “Well Enough Alone” revealed Charlotte is keeping the still-living William in cryogenic stasis. And as she explained it, she’s keeping him alive so that he can be the ever-present “loser” in the hosts’ and humans’ battle for supremacy. She said it with the same disgusted tone she used in comparing Anastasia to “other livestock” earlier on.

On the one hand, I loved the scene, as it showcased how intimidating Tessa Thompson can be without ever raising her voice or appearing directly threatening. And to me at least, it also sort of extends the initial purpose of flies within Westworld to indicate a host going off the scripted path. Charlotte keeping William around just to witness humanity’s downfall is the epitome of hubris, which is a human foible that properly functioning hosts likely wouldn’t adhere to. Perhaps she should have been remembering the saying “pride goeth before the fall” instead of whatever William used to say.

On the other hand, though, I don’t wholly understand why that scene happened at this particular point in the series’ timeline, considering their conversation implied they haven’t talked much (if at all) since he was replaced in the real world all those years ago by the Man in Black. Perhaps she was just waiting until they reached a certain level of success, such as replacing the Vice President with a host. Still, since William probably didn’t know what year it was, it was odd for Charlotte to be speaking to the present while his questions were presumably still based on what was happening when his throat was slit. 

Other Delos-Approved Thoughts About "Well Enough Alone”

• Are we to assume that the Man in Black has been hunting/repurposing all the hosts in the real world who weren’t under Charlotte’s rule? Will that have anything to do with James Marsden’s Teddy showing up in the Season 4 premiere?
• So we now have to keep up with 250 different emissaries of the New World Order? 
• What’s up with all the dead birds that Christine saw? And I can’t tell if it’s a good or a bad sign that I have no firm assumptions regarding that moment’s legitimacy, as far as why she was seemingly the only person who noticed them. That’s so Westworld. 
• In a similar vein as the above point, it’s also not entirely clear if any of what Dolo…Christine witnessed inside the Hope 
• Christine only gets 4 paid days off for sick leave in a year? Can’t tell if it’s a sign of the company being shitty, or that people just don’t get sick as often in this COVID-free timeline. 
• I get that The Man in Black’s multiple holes in one were meant to impress and then disturb the Vice President, but was that entire scene just artifice? Because if his programming allows for that sort of perfection each time, what’s the point? I guess I can believe that the Man in Black is so full of himself that even the host version needs daily reminders like that. 
• “I’ve always wondered, why do they call you the secret service? Aren’t you a little…obvious?” This line made up for having to watch the Man in Black shooting and slicing Clementine in the cold open. Welcome back, Angela Sarafyan!
• I may never be comfortable by how clear and visible people are in their cars on Westworld. Do people not go get fast food while wearing their shittiest pants in this universe?
• I love how many buildings in Westworld (and similar fare) feature massive, high-ceiling rooms whose central purpose is to store something that requires 1/20th the space.

Westworld airs new episodes every Sunday night on HBO at 10:00 p.m. ET, and are also available to stream with an HBO Max subscription. While waiting for the next episode, head to our 2022 TV premiere schedule to see what other less-confusing shows will be arriving soon.

Spoilers below for the Season 4 premiere of Westworld, so be warned if you haven’t yet tapped into the madness. 

After a hiatus lasting just over two years — and I’m sure the specific number of days it was gone is itself a clue about the future — Westworld finally returned to HBO for the start of what will assuredly be an enjoyable head-scratcher of a fourth season. The highly anticipated premiere, titled “The Auguries,” picked up in the story seven years after the chaotic rebellion that capped off Season 3, and almost seemed like it was part of a normal, traditional series at times, from Evan Rachel Wood’s new and seemingly human character Christina to the all-around lack of Delos and the parks (outside of flashbacks).

Of course, co-creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy had plenty of rampant weirdness and mysteriousness and low-key hilarity on display throughout, giving audiences plenty to think about during the wait for Episode 2. So let’s take a look at the four biggest takeaways from Westworld’s Season 4 opener, followed by some more random musings. 

Evan Rachel Wood’s Christina May Be Partly Responsible For Gamers’ Suicides

While the details are a bit smudgy, Evan Rachel Wood’s non-Dolores — whom we’ll refer to as Christina for clarity and because it’s her actual name — works for some kind of a gaming company as a writer who seems to work mostly with realistic, situational experiences. Though she’d prefer to craft tales more in line with Dolores’ farmgirl origins, her boss (played by The Vampire Diaries’ vet Michael Malarkey) wants more sexed-up and violent fare. So for the most part, that side of Christina’s life felt pretty tame and non-controversial. But then there were the phone calls that Christina was getting, seemingly all from one ranting and raving dude named Peter (played by 12 Monkeys vet Aaron Stanford), who claimed that her games have ruined his and others’ lives. 

Westworld easily could have kept that loose thread dangling for another episode or two, but instead hastened things by having Peter accost Christina outside her home. This guy, with his talk of The Tower and other non-sequiturs, doesn’t know how to rationally stand still and explain himself, however, and the confusion reached the point where Peter jumped off of a building in front of Christina, questioning whether or not her game was causing it to happen. Not exactly normal shit to deal with, and the fact that Christina is seeing the Maze symbol…well it doesn’t bode normal either.

But Christina didn’t act like she had any idea what Peter was talking about, even in private moments away from her roommate. And she certainly didn’t appear to be programming any mind-controlling games when she was seen at work. So while the whole “technology dictating people’s actions” idea is obviously right in line with Westworld’s mission statement, it’s not yet clear what the hell is up with The Tower and how Christina factors into it. And let’s face it, it may never be. 

The Man In Black Is On A Mission Involving A Crapload Of Flies

By the time Westworld’s premiere ended, it was almost easy to forget that the episode started off so extremely bizarrely, with Ed Harris’ Man-Bot in Black attempting to literally buy the Hoover Dam. Understandably, no one jumped at his immediate offer, but then no one else seemed to understand just how dead-set he was on taking possession of said dam. His actions, which are presumably being guided in some way by Charlotte Hale, seem to be focused on regaining access to data that was stolen eight years prior. 

Jonathan Nolan did confirm the Man in Black’s quest ties back to something we saw in Season 2, so it can be gathered the information he’s seeking used to be housed within Delos’ property, presumably within the many mega-servers that were in the Forge. (And could technically be once more, given the seven-year time jump.) But since this is Westworld, the data probably isn’t what we’re expecting it to be, so there’s no point in speculating too hard about it at the moment.

But we might as well speculate on what the hell is up with those flies, because that was a truly horrific moment. And it wasn’t completely clear whether it was real and tangible, or just something being hallucinated by this character that Big Sky’s Arturo Del Puerto portrayed. Whatever the case may be, the flies were surely sent somehow by Man in Black or his higher-ups, and they’re somehow capable of making people bend to others’ will. To the point where someone slicing their own throat is on the list of commands. As if just the visuals of huge swaths of flies weren’t already bothersome enough.  

I Will Follow Maeve Into Any Rebellion, Caleb Not So Much

While we didn’t spend as much time with Thandiwe Newton’s Maeve as I would have liked — roughly the whole episode, give or take 30 seconds — it appears as if her narrative push early on this season will revolve around her trying to take out everyone that the Man in Black seems to be sending out to kill her. Even though I’m not entirely convinced that’s even the case, considering it was hard to gauge anyone’s full intentions from just the few memories that Maeve viewed from her attacker.

Whoever it is that’s been trying to track her down over the years, they should get ready for a mound of bodies to start piling up, both of the human and host variety, because Maeve is not one to back down when put up against a threat. And my money is on that character “winning” out in the end, even if there’s no true victory in Westworld. 

But do I feel great about Caleb jumping into the mission alongside Maeve? Not exactly. Especially after seeing how his home life is going. As mildly heartwarming as it is that he’s a doting husband and father who loves target practice, he’s apparently been overtaken by PTSD and paranoia more than ever in the last seven years. And while there’s nothing necessarily wrong with those traits in and of themselves, they almost definitely foreshadow troublesome times ahead for ol’ Caleb. Which probably means Maeve will suffer by extension, which would not be great.

More Major Characters Should Have Appeared

I can fully understand why a show with plots as dense as Westworld may need to start a new season off without all of its parts and mechanisms in motion. Especially when dealing with actors playing new roles, time jumps, and other new characters to introduce. So I don’t fault the Season 4 premiere for keeping other favorite characters at bay while setting up all the dominos yet to fall. 

However, I’d be remiss if I didn’t remark on how the episode was impacted by the lack of its ensemble sharing the screen together, at least ahead of Maeve showing up in the nick of time to save Caleb and his daughter from being capped. And considering that was a badass moment, it helps to prove my point. 

Even if we didn’t get more genuine ensemble moments, I would have also been happy to spend two or three scenes with Jeffrey Wright’s Bernard, who was last seen shaking off dust after a presumed trip to the Sublime. Why we gotta wait at least another week to find out what’s up with that? WHYYY?!? Also, let’s see some non-flashback Clementine!

Other Delos-Approved Thoughts About "The Auguries"

• Who’d have guessed that Ariana DeBose was exactly what Westworld needed? Clearly the casting director, who deserves a bunch of “Way to go!” balloons. 
• Totally understood that those were all CGI flies, but someone should have told Arturo Del Puerto to react a little bit more “freaked the fuck out”-ishly in that moment, considering how WTF things were. He was beyond startlingly calm, considering I would have shattered porcelain with my screams after seeing that horde of flies.
• I like that the fly form was incorporated into the Season 4 opening title sequence. Nothing goes together in nightmares quite like flies and skulls. 
• When Christina passed a seemingly homeless man while walking through the city, he definitely mentioned The Tower looming over everyone, which definitely wasn’t a coincidence. But was he one of the people that was “ruined” by the game like Peter?
• Christina’s boss kinda sucks, and both her conversations with him and her dinner date felt like they were themselves written by A.I., which I feel is worth noting in the folder marked “Possible Evidence For Why Season 4’s Real World Is Actually A Park.”
• How did returning star James Marsden show up right on time there in the end, and what does his character have to do with any of this? 
• Nothing has more inherent chill than Maeve meditating inside a snowy cabin as Jimi Hendrix plays. 
• “Now be a dear and close your eyes, would you?” Cold. As. Ice. 
• It’s kind of weird to watch Evan Rachel Wood as a Westworld character other than the deceased (or whatever) Dolores, even after Season 3’s body-swapping. I already know I won’t be able to break away from the feeling that there are identity-related twists to come for Christina.
• “Tabs” are the Season 4 equivalent of Season 3’s “Drip,” I’m guessing. At least as far as fad drugs go, if not for being similar in its effects and purpose of usage. 
• I don’t really understand what Maeve’s power outage was about, in that I don’t see why she was going so hard on her memories at that point in time, seven years after going on the lam. Does A.I. get the seven-year itch, as it were?
• Prediction: Frankie’s Bear Bear doll is no doubt going to get destroyed, and it will be a Top 3 tragedy for the season. 
• Do we think Maeve’s scabbard is a smelly gross mess that she doesn’t care about, since she’s not human, or do we think she cleans it when necessary? Because she most definitely did not wipe that blade off before sticking it back in there, and it was doused in blood or whatever life fluid.
• As happy as I was to see Ariana DeBose on screen, that’s how happy and surprised I was to see Good Girls vet Manny Montana popping up as Carver near the end of the episode. He brought a lot to Mayans M.C. Season 4 in recent months, so here’s hoping he gets showcased on Westworld as well.

Be sure to watch new episodes of Westworld on HBO every Sunday night at 10:00 p.m. ET, with episodes also available with HBO Max subscriptions, and then check out all of my random thoughts on a similar weekly basis. While waiting, head to our 2022 TV premiere schedule to see what other new and returning shows are on the way.

Fans can finally look forward to the highly-anticipated fourth season of Westworld premiering later this month on HBO, over two years since Season 3 of the western-dystopian series ended. Following the Season 3 finale, fans were unsure about the fate of Evan Rachel Wood’s Dolores. Now we finally have confirmation that the death is permanent courtesy of co-creator Lisa Joy, but Wood will return as another character along with James Marsden.

While appearing at ATX Festival along with the cast over the weekend, co-creator Lisa Joy dropped plenty of hints for the upcoming season of Westworld. Via Deadline, she discussed the new stories and the aftermath of the Season 3 finale, as well as just how Evan Rachel Wood and James Marsden will play into Season 4.

Evan Rachel Wood Is Back, But Not How You Expect

The Season 3 finale saw Dolores sacrifice herself in order to give the humans their free will back, and in turn, her memory and data were wiped clean from her circuits, basically killing her. It was unknown then whether someone, like Caleb, would reboot her system and bring her back, but Lisa Joy confirmed that she is dead.

Joy explicitly settled the character's fate by saying "Dolores is dead," but said that they decided to bring Evan Rachel Wood back and "write a whole new character for her." Wood discussed how it all happened and that it was in the works for a while:

This new character is named Christina, who lives in a New York-like city with her roommate, played by West Side Story’s Ariana DeBose. Said roommate might have a thing for Christina. Wood’s new character will also be going on a lot of dates, including one that looks a lot like fan-favorite James Marsden.

James Marsden Is Also Returning

During Season 2 of Westworld, fans already knew that James Marsden’s Teddy was going to be a goner before the season ended. During a climactic scene in the season’s penultimate episode, Teddy shot himself in front of Dolores, and it was heartbreaking to watch. However, in Season 4, Christina will be going on a date with someone that is the spitting image of Marsden, bringing back memories of Dolores and Teddy’s whirlwind romance.

The actor, who reportedly surprised fans halfway through the panel, spoke out about returning after so long, sharing his excitement in being part of something that started for him nearly a decade ago:

Considering how Teddy went out, it’s unlikely that James Marsden will be bringing that character back. Just like with Evan Rachel Wood, it looks like he will be playing an entirely different character. But at least their two characters will have another chance at love... if something doesn’t go wrong, anyway. With Westworld, you never know.

It will be interesting to see just what will happen in Season 4 of Westworld and just how exactly Evan Rachel Wood and James Marsden will be brought back. Fingers crossed that they have more luck than the characters that preceded them, but it will just be good to see them again no matter what happens!

Don’t miss Westworld premiering on Sunday, June 26 on HBO and HBO Max! Check out CinemaBlend’s 2022 TV schedule to see what else to look out for this summer.

The past year has seen Evan Rachel Wood and Marilyn Manson’s former relationship put under various moral and legal microscopes, though without much resolution stemming from it all at this point. Wood’s two-part documentary Phoenix Rising aired in mid-March 2022 on HBO, having debuted earlier in the year at the Sundance Film Festival, and sparked a lawsuit from Manson’s legal team. While all of that is happening on the main stage, so to speak, Wood’s supporters are attempting to scrub the Internet of a specific music video from the rock star that allegedly features the Westworld actress being sexually assaulted. 

A petition was started on Change.org with the overall goal of removing Marilyn Manson’s 2007 music video for the single “Heart-Shaped Glasses (When The Heart Guides The Hand)” from YouTube, with other music services being added in after the initial posting. The video was filmed in 2007 when Manson (real name Brian Warner) and Evan Rachel Wood were dating, and made waves at the time for seemingly depicting the couple engaging in legitimate sexual acts. While it was denied at the time by Wood, and seemingly shrugged off by Manson, Wood has since claimed she was given absinthe ahead of filming, and that the physical acts seen therein were non-consensual and to be considered sexual assault. Due to the statute of limitations having passed, however, she has been unable to do anything about it from a legal standpoint. 

While Marilyn Manson has denied all claims of sexual abuse regarding the music video’s filming — as well as the various other rape and assault allegations made against him by Wood and several other women — the attention surrounding the video and its production has only grown. And so fans and supporters of the actress, as well as fellow survivors, allies and advocates, are attempting to remove the video from not only YouTube, but also other mainstream services where the song and/or video can be seen or heard, with TIDAL, Apple Music and Spotify being added onto the petition a few days after it was first posted.

The petition claims the video violates several of YouTube’s Community Guidelines and Policies, including the below:

• Pornography or depicting sexual acts, genitals, or fetishes for the purpose of sexual gratification on any surface (such as video, text, audio, images)
• Nudity or partial nudity for the purpose of sexual gratification
• Non-consensual sex acts or unwanted sexualization
• Violent, graphic, or humiliating fetish content where the purpose is sexual gratification

There is an additional hope that YouTube and other services would remove Marilyn Manson’s channels and hubs altogether, but this would take even more of an effort, and would likely need legal ramifications to come into play. It’s noted that there’s a reported clause in YouTube’s terms of service that specify how channels can be removed due to a subject’s actions away from the platform, but it would likely require Manson’s conviction or confession, which would then need to be judged on how much it “harms the YouTube community.” 

At the time of this writing, the Change.org petition has reached over 43,000 supporters as it attempts to hit the 50,000-signature goal. It’s unclear what could happen at that point if and when the goal is reached, as far as whether or not YouTube execs and others will be convinced to remove “Heart Shaped Glasses” from their platforms. 

Evan Rachel Wood is currently gearing up for an appearance as Madonna in Roku Channel’s upcoming comedic biopic WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story, with Daniel Radcliffe in the starring role. Meanwhile, Marilyn Manson’s music and acting career has stalled, but his relatively recent work with other controversial artists such as with Kanye West for Donda are apparently keeping him busy.  

One of the most exciting and highly anticipated films of the year — and that's including not just the appropriately comparable musical biopics, but everything else as well — is no doubt Roku Channel's WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story. (I make that declaration hyperbolically, but with abundant sincerity.) The excitement was already at a zenith just from the fact that Daniel Radcliffe is portraying the parody icon, and looks amazing doing it. But that hype has now jumped up even higher with the latest casting news, which includes Westworld star Evan Rachel Wood as the pop music sex symbol Madonna.  And as you'll see in the first look below, she certainly looks the part.

Perhaps in an effort to avoid the photo leakage that occurred ahead of Daniel Radcliffe's bespectacled first look officially going wide, Roku Channel went ahead and unveiled the initial shot of Evan Rachel Wood's Madonna right there with the casting announcement. Check it out!

The best thing about this image is just how much is happening on Evan Rachel Wood’s person. There’s the veil-esque headband, the make-up, the iconic mole above the lip, the black cross earrings, the abundance of necklaces, the brooches, the bracelets, and the sunglasses. And that’s all just in adornment to that…striking… top with its matching gloves, and the completely contrasting skirt. And it all clashes against the cream-colored lavishness in the background in the best of ways.

It's assumed that Madonna and Weird Al's stories will coincide at some point during the 1980s timeline, as the parodist was building up his fanbase with the release of the album Dare to be Stupid in 1985, with the hit single "Like a Surgeon" as the lead track. But one can only imagine how the dramatized version of events will go. 

Another highly notable new cast member revealed for WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story is The Office vet Rainn Wilson, who will be portraying fellow comedy music legend Dr. Demento, whose radio show played a huge role in bringing Weird Al's music to the masses. I cannot wait to see what he looks like in the role, which seems strangely suiting now that it's a concept worth thinking about.

Aside from those two, fans can look forward to seeing Mare of Easttown's Julianne Nicholson and Dickinson's Toby Huss joining the fun as Mary and Nick Yankovic, respectively. As one might imagine, those would be Weird Al's parents, and it's quite the talented pair of actors set to play them. While I can't recall if they shared the screen together, both Weird Al and Huss have recurred on Reno 911!, with the musician showing up again as Ted Nugent in the new Defunded season that debuted recently on Roku Channel. (With Jamie Lee Curtis serving as another amazing guest star in that show.)

The new film is currently filming in Los Angeles, and fans can only hope that more awesome casting news like this comes soon. Maybe John Mulaney can play Huey Lewis? I dare not make any Michael Jackson predictions, though. 

With no release date yet set, WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story is set to debut on Roku Channel hopefully at some point in 2022. While waiting to see when we can look forward to having “Like a Surgeon” as an earworm once more, head to our 2022 TV premiere schedule to see what new and returning shows are on the way.

Former Westworld co-stars Ben Barnes and Evan Rachel Wood are teaming up once again, and this time it’s for something much different and much less deadly. The two actors, who are also musicians, collaborated for the music video to Barnes’ latest music single, titled “11:11,” and they've given fans lots of anticipation build-up via behind-the-scenes clips and images, and that including one particularly excellent reference to Friends.

The Punisher vet and Shadow and Bone star Ben Barnes celebrated his buddy Evan Rachel Wood's recent birthday the only way he knew how: by posting a dubsmash on Twitter of the two of them delivering their A+ reference to Friends. (Why, do you celebrate your friends' birthdays differently?) In the video, the Westworld alums pay tribute to the iconic reveal of Monica and Chandler in bed together in London, just before Ross’ wedding. Check out Wood and Barnes also sharing a bed together for the video below:

Ben Barnes was only on Westworld through the end of the second season, while Evan Rachel Wood's Dolores Abernathy will presumably return to form in Season 4. Despite Barnes departing from the series back in 2018, it looks like his friendship with Wood has only grown in the years since. The music video seems to mark the first time they’ve worked together in three years, so I can only imagine what it was like putting together something that's quite unlike what fans are used to seeing from them. At least judging from the teases.

Even though their music video collaboration is temporary, maybe this could be the start of more projects for them to star in together, whether that’d be in music, film, or TV. Now I'm kinda into seeing a Friends parody with Barnes' Jigsaw and Wood's Dolores as Chandler and Monica, respectively. Or with reversed roles. I'm not picky.

Ben Barnes and Evan Rachel Wood aren’t the only ones recreating Friends moments on social media. Friends star Courteney Cox took to Instagram last year to give fans a little tender reminder to not send her more gifs of a turkey on her head from one of the many iconic Thanksgiving episodes the series did. Which obviously wasn't a legitimate warning, but rather a callback to one of the show's most memorable holiday moments. And Friends references have been especially plentiful in the months after HBO Max's reunion special turned heads and earned Emmy nods, and also re-sparked debates about Ross and Rachel, and about Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer themselves. Will we see any more nods in the actual video for "11:11" when it's released?

Although Ben Barnes doesn’t seem to be returning to Westworld any time soon, fans can still see him and Evan Rachel Wood together in the new music video for “11:11,” which will be released in the second week of September 2021. This will surely keep fans satisfied until the two share another project together that lasts longer than four minutes. But in the meantime, head to our 2021 Fall TV schedule to see what other new and returning shows are popping up soon, and keep your eyes and ears out for Barnes' first EP, Songs for You, when it releases on October 15.

Over the past several weeks, a lot of abuse allegations related to singer Marilyn Manson have come down the pipeline from some of his exes. Following the wave of allegations, now it seems like police are looking into at least one of the reports.

The L.A. County Sheriff's Department has plans in the coming days to meet with at least one of Marilyn Manson’s alleged victims, according to a new report over at TMZ. It’s unclear if that victim is Evan Rachel Wood, who is Marilyn Manson’s former partner and also the person who kicked off the abuse allegations a few weeks ago.

The Sheriff’s deputies who are reportedly looking into the allegations want to know if “a crime was committed” and, if yes, whether the acts that have been alleged even fall under the jurisdiction of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The L.A. County Sheriff’s Department was also the police force that arrested Danny Masterson on rape charges back in June of 2020. At the time, his bail was $3.3 million.

Evan Rachel Wood has been open about being a part of an abusive relationship for years, but she did not publicly out Marilyn Manson as her reported abuser until early this month. In the post, she made claims about being “brainwashed” and “manipulated” by the singer. She previously had said while testifying to the House Judiciary Subcommittee that her abuser had forced sexual relations on her when she slept and more, also detailing:

Her recent post inspired other women Manson allegedly had encounters with, including but not limited to Sarah McNeilly and Ashley Lindsay Morgan, to also write about their experiences online.

Marilyn Manson has since denied the claims, calling himself a “magnet for controversy.” His ex-wife Dita von Teese has also spoken out, saying she did not encounter any of the type of abuse that has been described during the course of her marriage to Manson, though she did mention she left due to “infidelity” and “drug use.” The two were married between 2005 and 2007, after which Manson’s relationship with Evan Rachel Wood was made public.

Marilyn Manson has been cut from his record label and lost some other projects, including prominent TV work, since the allegations came to light. For example, a Creepshow episode he was supposed to star in will no longer air. Police were also dispatched to Marilyn Manson’s home for a welfare check a couple of days after the Westworld star made allegations, but Manson did not come out of his home. A representative for the singer later said he was reportedly “fine.”

The West Wing boasted a star-studded cast that has stood the test of time, with series regulars including Martin Sheen, Allison Janney and Robe Lowe. But many of the young actors who guest starred on the political drama, which aired for seven seasons from 1999-2005, went on to have phenomenal careers of their own, such as Elisabeth Moss, who played the youngest of President Jed Bartlet’s three daughters, and Amy Adams, who helped the White House staffers after they were stranded at a farm in Indiana. With more than 150 episodes, The West Wing’s sets were graced by hundreds of actors, so it’s to be expected you might have forgotten that these future stars were among them.

Evan Rachel Wood - Hogan Cregg

Long before True Blood and Westworld, and even before she was a troubled teen in Thirteen, a 14-year-old Evan Rachel Wood played press secretary C.J. Cregg’s niece Hogan Cregg in Season 3’s “The Black Vera Wang.” C.J. (Allison Janney) and Hogan, accompanied by a Secret Service agent (Mark Harmon) went shopping for a dress for Hogan’s junior prom. Evan Rachel Wood oozed star power on screen with acting heavyweights Allison Janney and Mark Harmon. You likely didn’t recognize her back in 2002, but this performance is hard to forget.

John Gallagher Jr. - Tyler

You might know John Gallagher Jr. from the 2020 horror Come Play, or as Liam Dempsey, who had a relationship with Evan Rachel Wood’s Dolores in Westworld’s third season. But back in The West Wing Season 4’s “20 Hours in America: Parts 1 and 2,” a 17-year-old John Gallagher Jr. played Tyler, who tried to help Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford), Toby Ziegler (Richard Schiff) and Donna Moss (Janel Moloney) get out of Indiana after they missed the motorcade on a campaign stop. John Gallagher Jr. gave an understatedly comedic performance, as the group was flummoxed by Tyler’s ex-girlfriend, a time zone snafu and a train headed the wrong way down the track. Though John Gallagher Jr. went on to star as Jim Harper on the The Newsroom, another Aaron Sorkin creation, the actor said on “The West Wing Weekly” podcast that Sorkin didn’t remember Gallagher’s decade-old stint on The West Wing until they were filming the last episode of The Newsroom, Season 1.

Amy Adams - Cathy

Amy Adams has been nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Actress for American Hustle, and won two Golden Globes. She’s been in everything from kids movies like The Muppets and Enchanted, to the dark thriller Sharp Objects to the 2020 drama Hillbilly Elegy and even three episodes of The Office. But before all that, Amy Adams was Cathy, a farmer’s daughter in Season 4’s “20 Hours in America: Part 1.” Cathy’s family hosted an event for President Bartlet’s re-election campaign at their farm in Indiana. When Josh, Toby and Donna were left behind, Cathy tried to help them get back to the motorcade, all while engaging the staffers in a political dialogue about the struggle farmers face. Is there anything this woman can’t do?

Elisabeth Moss - Zoey Bartlet

A Hollywood A-lister today, Elisabeth Moss was 17 years old when she began playing President Bartlet’s youngest daughter Zoey (her older sisters were played by Nina Siemaszko and Annabeth Gish, who are no schlubs themselves). Zoey was featured in 25 episodes of The West Wing, as she had an on-again-off-again relationship with Dulé Hill’s Charlie Young, and she even had a major story line, getting kidnapped at the end of Season 4. So while she’s not exactly forgettable in the role, Zoey Bartlet seems a lifetime away from Mad Men’s Peggy Olson, The Handmaid’s Tale’s June Osborne and scores of other acting credits and accolades.

Ashley Benson - Suffragette

In Season 4, Episode 6, “Game On,” 12-year-old Ashley Benson got one of her first acting credits, playing one of three children helping to campaign for a candidate in California’s 47th Congressional District who passed away. Will Bailey (Joshua Malina), who managed the campaign, called the trio “Sally and the Suffragettes,” and they recited the poster they made to encourage voters: “It doesn’t matter who you vote for. Make sure you vote.” Just two years later, Ashley Benson landed a recurring role as Abby Deveraux on Days of Our Lives and is today most best known for playing Hanna Marin on Pretty Little Liars.

Danny Pudi - Santos Aide #2

In his first credited role, Danny Pudi played an aide to presidential candidate Matt Santos, specifically “Santos Aide #2” in the Season 7 episode “Two Weeks Out.” It was a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearance, but it goes to show that even the smallest roles on The West Wing were filled with now-familiar faces. Danny Pudi is best known for playing Abed Nadir on Community, but he also does a lot of voice work, including the voice of Huey Duck on the DuckTales series that premiered in 2017.

Bellamy Young - MaryLou Meriwether

Many came to know Bellamy Young as Mellie Grant, first lady in the Shonda Rhimes political drama Scandal. But that wasn’t her first time in the White House. Back in 2014 a blonde Bellamy Young played North Carolina lawyer MaryLou Meriwether in The West Wing Season 5 episode, "The Stormy Present,” as she met with Josh Lyman about a copy of the Bill of Rights that was stolen from her state at the end of the Civil War. Bellamy Young went on to have roles in series including CSI: Miami, Dirty Sexy Money, Scrubs, Criminal Minds and Prodigal Son. In addition to Scandal, Shonda Rhimes’ other creations Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice and How To Get Away With Murder featured a bevy of actors who first appeared on The West Wing, including James Pickens Jr., Joshua Malina, Taye Diggs and Michael O’Neill.

Liza Weil - Karen Larsen

Speaking of Shonda Rhimes actors, Liza Weil of Scandal and How To Get Away With Murder fame had a role early in her career as Karen Larsen, a governmental aide who leaked Chief of Staff Leo McGarry’s medical records to expose his history of drug and alcohol abuse in Season 1’s “Take Out the Trash Day.” Karen (a fitting character name, though it didn’t hold any significant meaning back in 2000), is fired and then un-fired by Leo McGarry (John Spencer) after the two have a conversation about how addiction has affected their lives. Just months after this episode aired, the world would meet Liza Weil in perhaps her most recognizable role, Paris Geller on Gilmore Girls.

Jane Lynch - Lucy The Reporter

When you’ve got stars in the press pool, your casting directors are doing something right. Jane Lynch wasn’t a household name back in early aughts when she played reporter Lucy in two of The West Wing’s best episodes, “In the Shadow of Two Gunmen: Part I” and “Two Cathedrals.” Jane Lynch is widely known for her role as Sue Sylvester on Glee, and has most recently been seen as the host of the rebooted game show Weakest Link. With more than 200 acting credits to her name, Jane Lynch has come a long way from The West Wing press room. What’s next?

Nick Offerman - Jerry

Before Nick Offerman became a pop culture sensation as Ron Swanson on Parks and Recreation, he got his start with a guest role as Jerry in The West Wing Season 1’s "The Crackpots and These Women.” Jerry was part of a three-person team who met with C.J. Cregg to pitch an 1,800-mile wolves-only road — a cost to taxpayers of only $900 million. The trio played it completely straight as C.J. practically laughed them out of the room. It was a great early look at how talented Nick Offerman is at dry humor.

Omar Benson Miller - Orlando Kettles

Before starring on Ballers with The West Wing regulars Richard Schiff and Dulé Hill, Omar Benson Miller was hilarious as Orlando Kettles in the Season 4 episode “Election Night.” Orlando found himself in legal trouble — and unable to play in his final high school football game — after getting pulled over with an open can of Pabst Blue Ribbon. Omar Benson Miller shined opposite Charlie Young (Hill), as Charlie accompanied Orlando to cast his vote in the presidential election. Since The West Wing, Omar Benson Miller has also appeared on CSI: Miami (with another West Wing alum, Emily Procter) and The Unicorn.

Ty Burrell - Tom Starks

Eight years before we met our favorite real estate agent Phil Dunphy on Modern Family, Ty Burrell guest starred as Tom Starks in the Season 3 episode “The Women of Qumar” to talk about seatbelt laws with Rob Lowe’s Sam Seaborn. In an otherwise-dry scene, Ty Burrell brought the deadpan humor, as he defended the honor of Rotarians like his father and himself to Sam, whose father was an Elk. “You won’t catch a Rotarian not wearing his seat belt,” Tom told Sam. “An Elk, maybe.”

Eric Stonestreet - White House Counsel Staffer

Speaking of Modern Family, before playing the hilarious Cameron/Fizbo the Clown on Modern Family, but after working security at a Garth Brooks concert, Eric Stonestreet played a staffer in the White House counsel’s office on Season 2’s “Bad Moon Rising.” Eric Stonestreet was a competent assistant to White House counsel Oliver Babish (Oliver Platt), and even got to use the series’ secret code about “an old friend from home,” which alerted White House staff of an emergency without panicking those around them.

David Burtka - Bruce The Intern

David Burtka made his TV debut on The West Wing in the Season 3 episode, “The Black Vera Wang,” as Bruce, a White House intern who found himself in trouble after putting some re-gifted moose meat up for auction on eBay. Bruce was confronted by Donna Moss, who had received the meat from Josh Lyman after a trip to Helsinki. Bruce came out on top of that situation, though, as he got to keep his job and the $210 Donna paid to get the moose meat off eBay. David Burtka is known for his work on the stage and screen, a common thread amongst West Wing actors. He was also on seven episodes of How I Met Your Mother with now-husband Neil Patrick Harris,

The West Wing is currently streaming on HBO Max, including A West Wing Special To Benefit When We All Vote, a stage production of the Season 3 episode “Hartsfield’s Landing” performed by the original cast ahead of the 2020 presidential election. Check back regularly to CinemaBlend to stay up to date on all the latest streaming news.

Having first claimed years ago that she'd been in a seriously abusive relationship in her past, Westworld and Frozen II star Evan Rachel Wood recently went public in identifying ghoulish rock star Marilyn Manson as the alleged perpetrator of said abuse. Wood's claims inspired other women to come forth with their own accusations against Manson, causing many to wonder if his ex-wife, the multi-hyphenate Dita Von Teese, would come forward with similar experiences from their years together.

While she didn't share any statements right away, the burlesque queen Dita Von Teese did eventually speak up concerning the disturbing allegations made about Marilyn Manson. However, she did not any further fuel to the fire, saying this on Instagram:

Dita Von Teese and Marilyn Manson first became a couple in the early 2000s, with the musician having previously attempted unsuccessfully to get the model and actress to appear in one of his music videos. (She did later show up in the videos for his 2003 singles "mOBSCENE" and "(s)AINT.") After a few years of dating, Manson proposed, and in 2005 – the same year Von Teese starred in the award-winning short film The Death of Salvador Dali –the two were married in 2005 in a private and rather lavish ceremony that took place within an Irish castle. Von Teese revealed many years later that she felt their marriage, which she wasn't 100% into going through with, was the beginning of the end for their relationship.

A little over a year later, Dita Von Teese filed for divorce from Marilyn Manson, with the reasoning at the time being reported as "irreconcilable differences." In the months that followed, Von Teese publicly noted that Manson's rampant partying and drug use, combined with his extramarital relationship, caused her to end their marriage. Perhaps indicative of his lifestyle at the time, Manson wasn't even aware that Von Teese left him until a week later, on his birthday, when he received the divorce paperwork.

Considering they were a close-knit couple for around seven years, it certainly makes sense that fans would have questions and curiosities about whether or not Von Teese went through the same kind of physical and mental abuse that Evan Rachel Wood and others allege they suffered due to Manson's behavior. But with her lone statement on the matter, Von Teese appears to have put those worries to rest.

Speaking to her point that she wouldn't have gone through with marrying him had he treated her the way others claim they were treated, Dita Von Teese stated in relatively recent years that they eventually rekindled their friendship, according to Female First. In her words:

Dita Von Teese is currently in a relationship with Disney graphic designer Adam Rajcevich, which started up in 2014. It's not clear if the two will ever wed, however, as she still says her final year with Marilyn Manson put her off of the idea of marriage.

In the meantime, Marilyn Manson's career has currently imploded. Following the allegations, he was dropped by his record label, which stated it would no longer be promoting his September 2020 release WE ARE CHAOS. As well, his already filmed performances in such shows as American Gods and Creepshow will no longer go to air, and he was also released from the talent agency CAA. For what it's worth, he did release a statement denying the accusations, calling them "horrible distortions of reality," though he did not say if or how he intends to refute Wood's and others' claims.

Rarely one to avoid a controversy throughout his bizarro career, shock rocker Marilyn Manson hasn't dealt with anything quite like the troublesome turmoil that went down on February 1. Westworld star Evan Rachel Wood, who was temporarily engaged to Manson more than a decade ago, publicly accused the musician of patterned physical and mental abuse during their relationship, which inspired a handful of other women to also speak out about their own allegedly abusive experiences with him in years past. The effects on Manson's music and TV career were swift, and rather than speak through legal representation, he directly responded to the allegations.

Taking to Instagram to offer up his side of things – and perhaps wisely making sure to turn comments off of the post – Marilyn Manson said the following:

Marilyn Manson didn't name Evan Rachel Wood (or any of his other accusers) in his response, similar to the way the actress went years talking about an abusive relationship without name-checking Manson as the other partner. It's unclear what the next step will be for the rock star at this point, though, since merely refuting the multiple accusations to his fanbase likely won't get him back all the gigs he lost throughout the day.

After Evan Rachel Wood's statement came out in the morning, it seemed likely that Marilyn Manson's career would be affected in some way, and it wasn't very long before action was taken. First, his now-former record label Lorna Vista Recordings removed Manson and his albums from its website – he'd just put out his latest release WE ARE CHAOS with them on September 11, 2020 –and then released the following statement according to Billboard:

After that, a Starz representative announced that Marilyn Manson would be edited out of an upcoming Season 3 episode of American Gods, which seemingly can't avoid seasonal controversies. On the fantasy drama, Manson had a small recurring role as Johan Wengren, the blood-thirsty lead singer of the Viking death metal band Blood Death. He'd already appeared in two previous episodes, including the one that aired the night before Evan Rachel Wood's allegations went public. It's unclear if those scenes will remain in the episodes for future airings and home entertainment releases.

Marilyn Manson, who has also appeared in such shows as Salem and Sons of Anarchy, was also set to take on a guest-starring role in Greg Nicotero's Creepshow anthology series on the Shudder streaming service. However, AMC Networks confirmed that the segment he appeared in will be replaced when that episode is released. (Probably a good thing that he wasn't ever added into The Stand adaptation on CBS All Access.)

This wasn't the first time that Marilyn Manson – real name Brian Warner – has been the subject of disturbing allegations. In 2018, a police report was filed against him alleging crimes of a sexual nature going back to 2011. However, the LAPD didn't pursue the case due to the absence of corroborated evidence, as well as the statute of limitations having expired at that point.

Westworld star Evan Rachel Wood has spoken up in the past about at least one former relationship that allegedly involved nightmarish abuse, but without ever going so far as to identify the person she was speaking about. That silence has come to an end, however, with Wood going public and name-checking shock rocker and occasional actor Marilyn Manson, saying that he "horrifically abused" her for years. Following the actress and activist's accusations, more women have come out with their own abuse allegations.

Having quit Twitter last year, Evan Rachel Wood took to Instagram to call out Marilyn Manson, real name Brian Warner, for allegedly grooming, brainwashing and manipulating her during their relationship, which began in the mid-2000s when she was 18 years old and he was 36. Here's how she put it in her post:

Evan Rachel Wood, who came out as bisexual after her relationship with Manson ended, has spoken out against sexual abuse in the past, most notably in front of a House Judiciary Subcommittee with the goal of getting the Sexual Assault Survivors Bill of Rights passed across the country. But while she has long been open to a certain extent about her past experiences, she'd always left her abuser's name out of it, and her post seems to imply that she didn't call Marilyn Manson out personally in the past due to fear of being blackmailed or retaliated against.

After Evan Rachel Wood's post started making the rounds, it inspired other women to come forward to share their own accusations against Marilyn Manson, who got married for the second time in 2020, to Lindsay Usich. (He was previously married to Dita Von Teese from 2005-2007.) Each of the women shared their stories on Instagram, though not all of them have remained active, with one in particular being taken down. Here are the claims made by Sarah McNeilly:

Below are the allegations shared by Ashley Lindsay Morgan, who claimed that her relationship with Marilyn Manson happened around a decade ago while she was modeling in Thailand. Things reportedly went from her feeling comfortable in the early days to him eventually coaxing her to bring him Nazi memorabilia from her trips to Bangkok, which allegedly occurred on top of him hurting, shaming and degrading her. Here's how she put it:

Another woman who goes simply by Gabriella shared her own awful claims, which involved allegedly being forced into a situation where she overdosed on drugs and wasn't allowed to be taken to the hospital.

At this time, it doesn't appear as if Marilyn Manson has public responded to the abuse claims made against him. As well, no updates have come from the Concord or Loma Vista Recordings, the labels behind his latest album, WE ARE CHAOS, which released in September 2020.

Evan Rachel Wood, meanwhile, is presumably set to reprise the role of Dolores when HBO's Westworld returns for Season 4, although that's still not exactly a certainty, given how Season 3 ended for the A.I. host.

Evan Rachel Wood was an active celebrity on social media for quite a long time. Then, back in June, the popular Frozen II and Westworld actress unexpectedly quit Twitter. It was shortly after Season 3 had wrapped its run on HBO, but at the time the actress really didn’t explain the decision. Now, however, Wood is being pretty honest about her reasons for quitting the popular social media platform.

Unlike notable actresses like Kelly Marie Tran, Evan Rachel Wood didn’t quit a platform due to backlash related to a role or online hate from fans. However, she did recently reveal it was due to people taking things she would say on her Twitter profile out of context, or reworking those comments in a way she felt was unfair. She noted:

Speaking to Variety as part of a larger profile about her career, her feelings on activism and more from Evan Rachel Wood’s personal worldview, the actress touched on why quitting Twitter was a sound decision on her part. Unfortunately, her quitting the social media platform also means fans won’t get to see cute exchanges between Evan Rachel Wood and some other big names, including a cute exchange that happened earlier this year between Wood and droid-lover Janelle Monae when Westworld was renewed for Season 4. Every decision has its pros and cons, though Wood doesn't sound too bent out of shape about this one.

Evan Rachel Wood is still active elsewhere in Hollywood, even if she isn’t interacting with fans, co-stars and random people on Twitter on a regular basis anymore. It is worth pointing out that she has even kept her Instagram account and posts regularly about her career, but also her opinions on what’s going on in the world at large, though she also revealed to the outlet that she also tries to focus on topics she is educated about.

This month, Evan Rachel Wood stars in Kajillionaire, Miranda July’s new film that was sold at Sundance last year and is about a trio of oddballs, a family of con artists and the first person they’ve let into their lives in a long while. The movie is all quirk and there’s a lot to talk about, and while Evan Rachel Wood has been good about promoting the movie on Instagram, you’ll hear nary a peep from her on Twitter.

She’s not the only celebrity to quit Twitter recently, either. Sometimes celebrities take a break from Twitter, as Lin-Manuel Miranda did for a short time after he tirelessly promoted Disney+’s Hamilton around the time of its release. And some celebrities, including Kelly Marie Tran, drop off of Twitter nary to return. The platform isn’t used the same way by each and every celebrity or artist and it isn’t a great fit for every person and that’s OK. As long as the Rian Johnson’s of the world continue engaging, I think the Twitter-verse will be alright.

In an unprecedented move, Ruby Rose exited Batwoman after just one season and it was confirmed that the role would be recast for Season 2. Her departure marked the first time in Arrowverse history that a lead was being replaced and the announcement shocked many fans. It was initially reported that Rose was allegedly unhappy filming such long hours and that the decision to part ways with Batwoman wasn't entirely up to her.

However, the actress recently addressed her departure from the Arrowverse, revealing that staying silent was her “choice for now.” Ruby Rose conceded that it wasn’t an easy decision to leave Batwoman behind, but that “those who know, know.” The implication is, of course, that there’s more to the story, though nothing has been confirmed.

Since the announcement of Ruby Rose’s exit, many have likely been wondering who would be cast in her place. The CW is still looking to find an actress who is a member of the LGBTQ community. Keeping in mind that the act of physically changing someone’s face is canon on The CW series, Kate’s face change could be recognized within the scope of the story or be completely ignored. Either way, here are six actresses who could replace Rose as Kate Kane on Batwoman.

Stephanie Beatriz

Stephanie Beatriz is best known for her role as Detective Rosa Diaz in the comedy series Brooklyn Nine-Nine. She's also starring in the upcoming Lin-Manuel Miranda musical In the Heights and has done voice work for Bob's Burgers and Netflix’s BoJack Horseman.

Stephanie Beatriz was one of the first actresses to express interest in playing Batwoman and as soon as I saw it I thought it would be a brilliant choice. The actress is versatile, has the build, and acting chops to pull off the iconic role. As Rosa, Beatriz has shown she can be tough while also having a soft spot. She is also openly bisexual.

Evan Rachel Wood

The actress has had a long and storied career, but she's best known for playing Dolores Abernathy on HBO's hit show Westworld. Wood's other notable roles include voicing Elsa and Anna's mother in Frozen 2, a stint on HBO's True Blood, and starred in the movie Thirteen.

Evan Rachel Wood is openly bisexual and has identified herself as Jewish. That's important because Kate Kane is also Jewish and many fans have been clamoring to see that representation onscreen as well. Beyond that, Wood has tremendous experience carrying a show, is very talented, and would be a great fit.

Samira Wiley

Samira Wiley played the beloved Poussey Washington for four seasons on Netflix’s Orange is the New Black, which also briefly starred Ruby Rose. Wiley's most recent roles include Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale, where she stars alongside Elisabeth Moss, and in the comedy series Ryan Hansen Solves Crime on Television.

Samira Wiley is openly gay and there's no doubt that she could pull off the role of Kate Kane. Wiley has shown great range and is capable of balancing dark and emotional material and humor. She also has a distinct and wonderful onscreen presence. Gotham City would be lucky to have her.

Jade Tailor

You might know Jade Tailor from her five-season stint on Syfy's The Magicians, where she played Kady. The actress also appeared in the 2017 sci-fi thriller called Altered Perception. Jade Tailor is no stranger to bizarre sci-fi stories and had plenty of action sequences on The Magicians.

Tailor has also expressed interest in playing Kate Kane on Twitter, explaining how she's already played a badass onscreen and would do so again as Batwoman. She even dropped a video of herself rehearsing a fight scene, so she's ready.

Sonya Deville

Daria Rae Berenato, better known as Sonya Deville, is not the traditional pick, simply because she isn't much of an actress. Deville is a wrestler and mixed martial artist who rose to fame on WWE's Tough Enough and in appearances on Smackdown. Deville is also the first openly gay female wrestler.

Sonya Deville has only appeared in a couple of projects outside of WWE, like 2013’s The Honour, but she would surely nail the fight sequences so prevalent on Batwoman. And hey, if The Mandalorian's Gina Carano and Furious 7's Ronda Rousey could successfully transition from the world of MMA to having major careers in television and film, then there's no doubt that Deville could do the same.

Ashley Platz

The actress has spent most of her career in guest starring roles, appearing in The Bold Type as Kat's love interest, in Grey’s Anatomy, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and Netflix’s GLOW, among several other TV shows. Ashley Platz is probably best known for her role as Nurse Katie in the 2018 horror film Big Legend. Platz identifies as bisexual/pansexual and she’s an actress with a lot to offer if given the chance.

It’s probably a little known fact, but Ashley Platz actually auditioned to play Batwoman back in 2018. Her audition tape was posted on Twitter and drew a lot of attention. And honestly, I think she was pretty good. It’s possible that The CW might cast someone from the pool of actresses who have already auditioned before. If that’s the case, then Platz may actually have a chance, but only time will tell for now.

Batwoman Season 1 ended prematurely, but left off with an impressive cliffhanger that saw the villainous Hush gifted with the face of Bruce Wayne. However, fans will have to wait a bit longer to find out what happens because Season 2 isn’t set to return until January 2021. That leaves plenty of time to cast an actress to replace Ruby Rose’s titular character.

Of course, this isn’t an exhaustive list, so who do you think should play Kate Kane/Batwoman? Let us know in the comments section!

In the meantime, stay tuned to CinemaBlend for updates on Batwoman and the casting process. While waiting for the show’s return, be sure to check out our 2020 summer TV premiere guide for more on what to watch.

To start things off on the proper footing, Westworld ranks as one of my favorite TV shows of the last decade, both in terms of sci-fi escapism and theory-indulgent conversations. I'm an adorer of the ensemble cast's consummate excellence, and a fan-apologist for the creative team's more questionable ebbs and whims. Actively seeking out Westworld's story issues isn't part of my narrative, as it were, but even I had to lower my rose-colored glasses more than a few times during the now-concluded Season 3.

Like many other fans, my hopes for the third season were as lofty as Westworld's plant-covered skyscrapers, coming after that game-changing Season 2 finale, with the strength of new cast members such as Breaking Bad's Aaron Paul and Black Swan's Vincent Cassel. And certainly, much about Season 3 can be celebrated as achievements, with the show's acting and cinematography as lovely as ever. Still, I couldn't help coming away from the season as a whole with a host of lingering issues that I'd managed to avoid in previous years. So here are my biggest peeves and grievances from "The New World," in no particular order.

Serac And Rehobaom Were Never Mentioned Before

Engerraund Serac and his predictive A.I. Rehoboam were so vital to humankind that a data breach was the catalyst for mass riots, suicides, etc., and that's on top of Serac's company being a gigantic tech-world quasi-rival of the Delos Corporation that hunted and effectively "killed" outliers who didn't mesh with Incite's vibe. Yet none of the human characters in Season 1 or 2 ever mentioned any of it. Plus, I guess it means none of the sadistic monsters who went to Westworld and the other Delos parks were considered to be outliers at all.

Obviously creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy didn't have every Westworld story beat planned out from the beginning, but they did inevitably choose to make the Incite way of life so universally adopted. Is it dumb that I'd be perfectly fine with them going back and adding new dialogue/scenes to Season 1 and 2 that did incorporate references to the Serac brothers and their devices?

The Real-World Chaos Undercut Dolores’ Big Plans

Westworld set many up to think Dolores would lead a Host army into waging war on a tech-obsessed humanity in Season 3. But while people were indeed consumed by gadgets and data, Dolores' vengeful mission lost nearly all of its steam once it became clear the "real world" was just as fucked up and pre-programmed as the Delos parks. The parallel riffs might have felt more dynamic and poignant under different pretenses, but her revolution and death were sorely muted by Rehoboam's massive impact on human behavior, as well as the lack of morally upstanding flesh-and-blood characters.

The Man In Black’s Erratic AF Storyline

For two seasons, Ed Harris' anti-villain The Man in Black was one of TV's most intriguingly enigmatic characters, especially when incorporating his youth. However, the character's staggered Season 3 arc was a largely blasé and empty affair, save for the group therapy session and the finale's post-credit reveal of the Man in Black Host. Sure, I'm still excited about what's coming next, but without as much confidence that it'll wow me beyond the power of Ed Harris' sneer.

Caleb Is Apparently The Only Non-Rapist To Have Visited A Delos Park

I know Dolores doesn't have a contact list full of dependable human beings who might also be sympathetic to sentient androids, but certainly she should have had more candidates for confidantes than "the guy who lightly convinced other supposedly respectable soldiers not to rape any robots several years ago." What a savior.

Too Much Confusion Over Dolores’ Pearls

When Dolores smuggled a handful of Host pearls out of the Delos parks in the Season 2 finale, it seemed like a great way to build mystery in Season 3. At times, that was achieved. For the most part, though, Westworld dripped those reveals out until confirming that the non-Bernard pearls were just clones of Dolores, which felt more like a "Gotcha!" than a germane bombshell at that point.

Bernard’s Most Interesting Moments Were His First And Final Scenes

Similar to how Ed Harris' excellence felt partly squandered in Season 3, Jeffrey Wright was faced with Bernard's meandering storyline. Things opened promisingly, with Bernard as a self-controlled fugitive living and working among real people, but he immediately reverted back to confused-detective mode. Thankfully, the character's story ended just as confidently, which included an emotional visit with Arnold's wife Lauren before an extended voyage into The Sublime. In between those sequences, though, Bernard bounced from location to location (alongside the returning Stubbs) as little more than glorified exposition. Be better, Bernard.

No Real Resolution For All The Frozen Outliers

Sure, Westworld is a dark show, but what's more disturbing than the reveal that Aaron Paul's Caleb was quasi-brainwashed by Serac's people into kidnapping and/or murdering people as guided by Rehoboam data, all for the still-living people to be declared dead put into permanent states of hibernation until an eventual "cure" is found for their outlier status. But did all those people actually die when Dolores hit that EMP in Episode 9? Are there now a bunch of rotting corpses smelling up the Solomon facility in Sonora, Mexico?

Maeve Constantly Getting Shafted Over Everything

Thandie Newton's Maeve wasn't created to follow a happiness-infused narrative, so it's perfectly natural that the character's rise to sentience and beyond has been one marked with various tragedies. But Season 3 heaped on the tragedies and down-trodden moments without any of the survivor savagery we've seen in seasons past, or even the story agency. Maeve was used by Serac and his simulations, she permanently lost her true love Hector, she was killed by the Musashi clone, and she was killed by Dolores, all without ever getting her promised reunion with her daughter in the Sublime. Of anyone in Westworld, Maeve is one who's least-deserving of such fates.

Neato Cityscapes Aren't As Visually Interesting As Delos' Parks

Yes, Westworld's visuals did get an aforementioned shout-out, but that's just comparing Westworld to most other TV shows. When stacked up against itself, though, the show's visual mastery sagged hard by setting the majority of Season 3 in the real world. The brief moments that did incorporate the Westworld park were a splendid reminder, as were the surrounding areas within the Warworld simulation, though they were too few and far between. It's cool to watch flying vehicles flying through various skyscrapers, don't get me wrong, but nothing about Westworld's San Francisco or L.A. locations were anywhere near as memorable as the abundance of nature within any of Delos' creations.

The Lack Of Robert Ford

Westworld understandably left a lot of familiar characters behind by largely vacating the parks in Season 3, and the creative team did a commendable job of peppering in cameos of favorites such as Angela Sarafyan's Clementine and Jimmi Simpson's younger William. But tell me this chaotic storyline wouldn't have become so much more grounded and meaningful by even a single appearance from Anthony Hopkins' Robert Ford, whose signature reflections on existence are the foundation for Westworld's ethos and pathos.

With Season 4 coming at some point in the future, Westworld can easily revert me back into a guilt-free fanatic who would cast doubt upon everything I've said above. But until those episodes start to arrive, I'll be crafting conspiracy theories about how the human Man in Black isn't actually dead yet.

Westworld Season 1-3 can currently be streamed on HBO Go and HBO Now. Be sure to keep up with all the upcoming TV goodness by bookmarking our Summer 2020 premiere schedule.

Spoilers ahead for the Season 3 finale of Westworld "Crisis Theory"

HBO's Westworld is a massive science fiction epic, which has take home a slew of Emmy Awards since it first debuted. The show's third season just wrapped up, and it was a much different adventure than the previous two installments. The story was taken outside of the parks, with Dolores continuing her master plan and recruiting Caleb (Aaron Paul) in the process. Season 3 was a wild and often confusing, although it had some seriously enjoyable payoffs. But the big twist for Dolores in the finale is really bothering me.

Dolores has been the main character of Westworld since the beginning, and we've watched through the years as she navigated her memory and eventually led a robot revolt against humans and those in charge of running the parks. She's killed a ton of humans throughout the past few years, especially as she mass executed them back once the hosts took control of the park in Season 2. But Season 3's finale turned this all on its head, as "Crisis Theory" found Evan Rachel Wood's protagonist actually change her mind about humans, and even encourage Maeve to save them.

Throughout the third season of Westworld, Dolores had been singularly focused on her goal-- although exactly what that was remained a mystery to the audience for the majority of the episodes. But she seemed once again focus on taking revenge on humans, this time within their world. Dolores released the data that was mined about humans and their potential, which resulted in mass chaos. But it turns out that she was actually... on their side the whole time?

"Crisis Theory" sees the villainous Serac incapacitate Dolores, and slowly delete her memory in hopes of finding the key to the heavenly host dimension known as The Sublime. In her final moments she connects with Maeve in a dream version of Westworld, where her "true" feelings soon become clear. Dolores actually appreciates humans for creating beauty in the world, as well as creating the hosts. As such, she wanted to free them of the society that Serac created, which stripped them of their free will. As she dies, she encourages Maeve to take arms and continue the cause.

While this is surely an unexpected plot twist with a great performance by Evan Rachel Wood, it's really bothering me. Dolores was responsible for the deaths of countless people once the hosts rose up and revolted in the park during Season 2. While some of them were the most powerful people at Delos, others were invited guests and spouses. Dolores personally mowed them down while on her horse, and also executed them by hanging. But now it turns out that she doesn't have a grudge against the entire human race at all.

In fact, Dolores was even willing to die (for real) in order to ensure that the plan came to fruition. It just feels like a plot twist that came out of nowhere, considering her history with humans. She and her clones also killed plenty of people throughout Season 3, leading up to this surprising revelation. It just didn't sit right with me, and I'm not sure any rewatches will change my mind.

Westworld airs Sundays on HBO. Be sure to check out our midseason premiere list to plan your next binge watch.

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Major spoilers below for the Westworld Season 3 finale, so be warned!

As it goes with Westworld’s finales, the Season 3 capper wrapped up the majority of the previous episodes’ storylines while holding back on just enough to keep viewers in the dark until the next batch of narratives arrives. (HBO officially ordered Season 4, but it likely won’t bring itself online until 2022 or so.) Thankfully, enough happened to Dolores, the Man in Black, Caleb and everyone else to inspire lots of hopes and theories for the near future.

Below, I’m going to break down what happened with each of the main characters in the Westworld Season 3 finale, all while trying my damnedest not to completely disrupt the loop. Let’s start with the queen bee herself.

Dolores

Though many viewers have gone all season assuming that Evan Rachel Wood’s Dolores’ main goal was to completely eradicate humanity in order to give the Hosts a larger world to exist in, that wasn’t exactly the case. Instead, she wanted to give humans a chance to regain their free will, which she did in part by having Aaron Paul’s Caleb and Thandie Newton’s Maeve completely erase all of the data within Rehoboam.

For those wondering why Dolores picked Caleb as her Judas cow (a callback to one of Dolores’ scenes in the series premiere), it was because she’d actually crossed paths with him years earlier. Westworld dropped the reveal that the ever-mysterious Park 5 was actually used to run military training programs, which Caleb was part of. Dolores recognized Caleb’s ability to make non-monstrous decisions when he was the one soldier in his unit who spoke up against raping all the female Hosts that were “saved” in the training exercises. Yes, Dolores was one of those Hosts, and that was one of the moments of beauty that she chose to hang onto, as opposed to all the ugliness.

Unfortunately, the finale ended similar to how the penultimate episode did, with Dolores’ “dead” body. Although in this case, Dolores had all of her memory and other data stripped from her circuits, so it’s not clear what the character will be like when/if she gets rebooted by Caleb or someone else. Here’s hoping she continues seeking out the beauty in humankind, rather than honing in on the disarray.

Caleb

Rather than losing his mind over everything like a normal person might, Caleb rolled with the punches and accepted Dolores’ explanation that he was to be a savior for the human race. Weirdly enough, Caleb’s brief ascension to being The Man felt very much like an extension of Fight Club’s Project Mayhem, with the paid-for-hire henchmen calling him “sir” and setting things up without his direct knowledge.

Caleb did kill quite a few people in the Westworld finale, but he still chose to realign himself with humanity after seeing that the final Solomon A.I. strategy would result in multiple mass-casualty events, eventually leading to civilization’s collapse in just a century, give or take a few decades. He didn’t want to go that far with the revenge plot.

Still, L.A. was in full riot mode by the end (though ahead of the post-credits sequences), with Caleb and Maeve standing together and watching explosions going off in skyscrapers across the city. I know I’m not the only one who picked up even more Fight Club vibes from that ending, with The Pixies’ “Where Is My Mind” replaced by Pink Floyd’s “Brain Damage.” It’s not quite clear what Caleb’s next move(s) will be, though.

Maeve

For the first chunk of the finale, Maeve just had the objective to find Dolores in order to get the data that everyone thought was in her head. She definitely wasn’t wholly on Serac’s side in all of this, considering their motivations weren’t exactly matched all the way. But things changed as Maeve came to understand Dolores’ actions, and also discovered that the O.G. Host didn’t actually have the key coordinates to the Sublime as was expected.

Near the end, Dolores gave Maeve the final ultimatum: to pick a side between the humans and the Hosts. Serac didn’t give Maeve that chance, using his override button on her after Dolores blipped out. Only Maeve got a little more powerful in that moment, blowing past Serac’s kill-switch so that she could do some killing of her own.

In the end, she was a bit less perturbed than Caleb to watch all of the explosions happening. And once more, Maeve is heading into a between-season hiatus with the promise of the Sublime on the horizon, but feasibly no closer to her reach.

Serac

Finally a step behind everyone else in this season, Vincent Cassel’s Serac was pushed to the brink in trying to gain possession of the Sector 16 data, fully turning Maeve against him in the process. As his plan was falling apart, Westworld finally dropped the big character reveal that fans have been theorizing about all season.

Serac has been a living human, and not some kind of hybrid being. However, he was indeed a puppet of Rehoboam in another big way, in that he had (presumably for years) been guided entirely by the program’s voice. Seemingly every word he spoke was provided to him, and every move he made was dictated by his predictive A.I. That reveal made me want to immediately go back and watch all of his previous scenes to pick up on that odd reveal.

It’s not likely that Serac will have any big scenes in the future; he was shot in the midsection after Maeve usurped his control. Even if the blood loss wouldn’t be what took him out, Serac would likely be in the fast lane to insanity after having to readjust to living with his own thoughts and making his own decisions without Rehoboam’s supervision.

The Man In Black

During the main runtime of the Season 3 finale, Westworld barely brought out the Man in Black. His showdown with Bernard and Stubbs was short-lived, with him getting a shot off on Luke Hemsworth’s Stubbs, and escaping once the local authorities arrived. The still-wounded William was later seen drinking extremely expensive whiskey and seeking his finances, which had been frozen after he was declared deceased.

After the credits rolled, though, Ed Harris got more time to play. He showed up at (presumably) the main Delos office on a mission to kill off any hosts in the building, but he was intercepted by a mostly re-skinned Charlotte Hale (Chalores), who had a different plan in mind. In fact, she had an entirely different Man in Black to show off.

The human William was somewhat pleased to come face-to-face with a Host that was willing to fight back in full, having long sought such a thing from the parks. However, it was an ego blow to learn just how easy it was to replicate his own basic-ass impulses in Host form. Not that he had long to think about it, since the Man in Black 2.0 killed off his predecessor by slitting his throat. That moment not only set up the character’s presumably violet path in Season 4, but it also gave quite a bit more context to the Season 2 post-credits scene in which an A.I. William meets up with a Host Emily (as portrayed by Katja Herbers.)

Bernard

Having not been shot by the Man in Black, Jeffrey Wright’s Bernard was surprised to learn that the SFPD officers who arrived at the scene were more of Dolores’ minions. Kudos to creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy for bringing back Clifton Collins Jr. for this surprise cameo, since his character Lawrence/El Lazo hadn’t been seen since Season 2’s seven installment. He wasn’t the only surprise guest star, either.

Bernard was revealed to be the Host that actually had access to the Sublime, but before he took advantage, he was tasked with paying a visit to Arnold’s real-world wife Lauren, whose existence was finally confirmed, with Suits’ vet Gina Torres aged up through makeup. Lauren was in an assisted living home, and was clearly dealing with memory issues. Of course, she became lucid enough to have the emotional conversation about Lauren and Arnold’s dead son Charlie that Bernard needed to have in order to move forward.

Not that he did much moving when going forward. With the goal of discovering the answer to what comes after the end of the world, as a way of rebuilding the outside world, Bernard sat on the edge of a motel bed and sent his brainpower into the Valley Beyond. The very last shot of Westworld’s finale brought viewers back into that motel room, only it was obvious that a long time had passed in the interim, as Bernard’s entire body was covered in dust. (For me, it was one of the more disturbing images that Westworld has delivered yet.) That said, viewers have no clue how long he was gone, nor what he learned during his voyage.

Chalores

As many viewers suspected, the revamped clone Chalores had indeed found a way to refabricate her skin after most of it was burned away. It appeared the vengeful Host also completely reneged on all of the emotional growth that she’d gained while getting attached the Charlotte’s human family. That love’s all gone now, at least as far as she was willing to admit to Dolores.

Beyond her newfound disgust and disinterest in humans, Chalores also seemingly tapped into some of Dolores’ powers. She appearing to the latter as a hologram that no one else could see, and she was also able to directly stall Dolores’ motor functions from a distance.

However, it wasn’t until the post-credits scene that audiences got a bigger idea of what Charlotte was up to. Along with crafting another Man in Black, Chalores was revealed to be building something of a Host army, with an untold number of new Hosts being printed in that Delos facility. Something tells me she’s interested in more than just repopulating Westworld and the other parks.

Stubbs

Perhaps expectedly, Stubbs didn’t get a big resolution within the Season 3 finale. He was initially shot by the Man in Black, but survived that attack, and reappeared later in the episode inside the motel room with Bernard, laid out in a bathtub full of ice.

With some booze at his disposal, Stubbs was left in the tub during Bernard’s trip to the Valley Beyond. He asked Bernard what he saw upon first gaining access, hinting at Stubbs' own interest in making that his fate, but Bernard powered down almost immediately afterward. It’s unclear by the end whether or not Stubbs is still alive when the dusty AF Bernard returns from his trip to the A.I. afterlife.

Ash & Giggles

Though they never transcended mere side character status, Lena Waithe and Marshawn Lynch were enjoyable throughout Season 3 as Caleb’s RICO colleagues Ash and Giggles. Thankfully, they did make reappearances in the finale, though both of them should have probably just stayed home.

As Caleb was making his way to Incite during the episode’s big riot scene, Giggles showed up to run crowd control, while Ash was handling demolition. Unfortunately, Giggles was shot by one of the riot cops, and though Ash stayed behind to keep tabs on him, he didn’t appear to make it. Not long after, Ash was seen being hauled off by the cops, so her future isn’t looking too bright either. That said, Caleb could always find a way to let her loose in Season 4, if the story calls for it.

With more than enough questions to keep viewers talking, Westworld Season 3 has now run its full cycle, though it can definitely be rewatched as many times as necessary via HBO, HBO Go or HBO Now. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for any news concerning castings or plot information for Westworld Season 4.

Spoilers below for the second-to-last episode of Westworld Season 3, so be warned!

Westworld's penultimate installment, "Passed Pawn," put a lot of focus on explaining Caleb's dark and intentionally obscured backstory, while also introducing the Serac brothers' prototype for the Rehoboam system. Much head-scratching ensued, and that was before the climax seemingly wiped out both Dolores and Maeve thanks to a well-placed EMP device. (Don't worry, they're both "alive" and well in the season finale trailer.)

Even though Season 3 hasn't necessarily been as densely structured as the first two seasons, at least as far as we can tell, creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy weren't exactly forthcoming with fully explored answers across these first seven episodes. And wouldn't you know it? Rehoboam totally predicted that I would have a ton of questions and curiosities left floating around ahead of the finale, which are compiled below. Pop those Limbic tabs and let's get started.

Who Resurrected Maeve After Her Battle With Dolores?

Even though it was partially revealed in the Episode 8 trailer, audiences were already clued in on Caleb being responsible for bringing Dolores back online somehow. (And it looks complicated.) But, assuming Caleb didn't also do the same for Maeve, how is she alive again in the finale? Perhaps Serac and his team were notified whenever Solomon shut down, or even whenever Maeve herself shut down, since he obviously has some overarching control over her. Hopefully the EMP didn't permanently fry her pearl in any way.

Will The Valley Beyond Situation Ever Get Resolved?

By and large, Maeve's main goal in Season 3 has been to reunite with her loved ones, even though she is continuously at the beck and call of Serac. We know that her love Hector is now permanently out of the picture, but will the season finale at last grant Maeve the happiness that she (arguably) deserves by sending her into the Valley Beyond with her daughter? It really wouldn't seem right to keep stretching that story into the recently renewed Season 4.

Is Caleb Really Set To Lead A Revolution, Or Is Dolores Playing Him?

Caleb re-learned a lot about himself thanks to Solomon's revelations, including the fact that he was responsible for killing and apprehending untold numbers of supposed outliers, all while creating false memories around the RICO missions. Dolores already seemed to know all of this, though, implying that she'd been grooming Caleb this whole time into taking her mantle as Host-sympathetic revolutionary. But would Dolores really put all of her metaphorical eggs in Caleb's basket, considering how unstable he is?

What Is Solomon's Final Strategy?

Unsurprisingly, viewers haven't yet learned the details behind the final strategy that Solomon crafted for Jean Mi Serac before the metaphorical plug was pulled on that particular operation. The original version of the plan was outdated by this point, and involved some people who are currently in outlier limbo, but Dolores had the A.I. develop a revised version that revolved around Caleb. In fact, Solomon even tried to warn Caleb about something before the EMP was activated. So what on Earth will Caleb do that introduces even more chaos into the world?

What Happened To Chalores After Escaping The Burning Car?

One of the bigger shocks in the episode “Decoherence” came when Halores’ car was purposefully blown up, killing off Charlotte’s human husband and son in the process. When she pulled herself out of the wreckage, she looked ready to scorch the planet, which was complemented by her totally scorched skin. Early in Episode 7, Halores was curiously framed during a phone call in which she revealed she’d completely sold out on Dolores and tipped Serac off to the Musashi/Sato clone’s location in Jakarta. What exactly happened that shifted her worldview after getting out of that car, and is she healing at all?

Is The Final Dolores Pearl Clone Located In Berlin?

Earlier in Westworld Season 3, one of Serac’s underlings pointed out the locations of Dolores’ contacts, and to date, the only one that hasn’t been revealed yet is the one supposedly in Berlin. That unidentified being isn’t necessarily harboring the missing Host pearl that is still unaccounted for, but the story would probably make a lot more sense if those things are connected. But will the Berlin ally be someone that viewers know?

Is Serac Really Alive Or Just A Series Of Holograms?

Every time viewers are witnessing Vincent Cassel’s Serac on the screen, there’s a 9 in 10 chance that it’s merely a holographic projection. Very rarely has Serac been “proven” to be in the physical world, making contact with objects and other human beings. Episode 7 even introduced a new, prerecorded Serac hologram, one with a message meant for his brother Jean Mi if he was ever successfully reconditioned. Interestingly, though, Serac’s message claims that the man he was “no longer exists.” A nod hinting at a transition to an A.I. consciousness, or something else?

Who Is Serac's Other Delos Mole(s)?

While Charlotte Hale was the most prominent mole within Serac's Delos-infiltrating scheme, he alluded to having someone else working for him on the inside. This mystery associate is presumably the one who initially rescued Maeve's pearl from Cold Storage. As well, he or she is believed to be the one who returned her to the simulation world, as well as the one responsible for Host-printing Clementine, Hanaryo and the unfortunate Hector. Will it end up being Maeve's former compadre Felix, or perhaps his more surly counterpart Sylvester?

Will William Once Again Become The Man In Black?

After spending the entirety of Season 3 either hallucinating at home, hallucinating in virtual nightmare therapy, or begrudgingly palling around with Bernard and Stubbs, Ed Harris' William is in desperate need of a costume change. In getting perhaps unfairly ousted and committed by Halores, the tragedy-stricken gunslinger became the Man in White. but he's apparently now found his path and is set to be the hero in this tale by killing off every last Host that he comes across. (Assuming he's not a host himself.) That probably won't bode well for some normal humans, considering what happened with Emily in Season 2.

What Was Dolores’ Plan With The Jakarta Clone?

Before his death and beheading, the Musashi/Sato clone confirmed with his henchmen that a certain someone's location had been found and that everything was in order. He then sent another out to make a delivery, with the threatening message that he shouldn't return if the mission isn't completed. We know this clone had tied to a facility that appeared to be manufacturing the Hosts' bodily fluids, but where are all the bodies for that fluid to go into?

Why Is Arnold's Maze Showing Up In The Real World?

At least twice now in Season 3, Westworld has shown viewers wall graffiti that directly references the maze imagery that Season 2 was based on. In one instance, Halores walked past it while taking Charlotte's son home, and the other instance was in the tunnel walkway where Dolores and Caleb first meet. It also showed up in one of the trailers released ahead of the season, presumably from one of the finale's riot scenes, but what does it mean? How did Arnold's maze escape the park and crossover into everyday human life, and why?

Why Is Bernard Still So Important In All This?

Inarguably one of Westworld's most important characters, as portrayed by one of the show's most talented actors, Jeffrey Wright's Bernard has strangely been treading a ton of water in Season 3, and not in the normal "confused Bernard exists in 11 different timelines" way. Dolores implied at one point that Bernard was the only irreplaceable Host, but it's not exactly clear what that meant, and he hasn't exactly been doing anything all that noteworthy on his treks with Stubbs. That said, I'm still kind of awaiting a left-field twist that re-contextualizes the entirety of Bernard's Season 3 narrative.

Did Caleb Kill Any Other Outliers That Are Important To The Story?

Caleb learned a lot of terrible shit about himself in "Passed Pawn." Not only was he responsible for killing his brother in arms Francis, but the two of them somewhat unwittingly worked as Serac's hitmen through the RICO app, taking out potentially innocent outliers. Viewers got to see at least one part of Caleb's laundry list of successful missions, along with two failures for "Murder" and "Enhanced Interrogation." Will any of those other deadly missions come up as critical backstory for the rest of Season 3? Is it possible one or some of Caleb's mostly forgotten crimes will come back to haunt him?

Will Anyone Actually "Win" The Finale?

The Season 3 finale trailer plays up the pure madness that's on the way as city populations start rioting over the Incite info dumps that Dolores made public. It plays up the Serac vs. Caleb angle, as well as the Dolores vs. Maeve angle, while also making it seem like William might actually kill Stubbs and/or Bernard. But when all is said and done and the credits are rolling, will Westworld have an actual victor to grant a crown and scepter to? Or is Dolores' main plan just to leave the real world as bloody and destroyed as Westworld itself became over the course of Season 2?

If someone put on about 14 pots of coffee, I could keep cooking up questions that would last us until HBO aired the Westworld finale, but that might be overkill. Be sure to let us know your theories in the comments, and tune into "Crisis Theory" when it airs on HBO on Sunday, May 3, at 9:00 p.m. ET.

Spoilers below for the penultimate episode of Westworld Season 3!

With Episode 7, "Passed Pawn," Westworld pulled the cork on Caleb's backstory, giving audiences a deeper look at his past, and his direct connections to the overarching narrative. Creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy didn't give away all the pieces of the puzzle(s), but they did show viewers what Dolores' other big-picture plan has been. Oh, and the show managed to bring back two more long-gone Hosts that were gladly welcomed back, even if it meant another's death.

Follow along below to go over the big story-twisting beats and reveals from Season 3's penultimate episode – not that I fully understand all of them – as the show drives headlong into its big season finale. Let's start with the device that kicked off a lot of this mess.

Serac And Jean Mi Created Solomon Before Rehoboam

Before the world-changing creation of Rehoboam, Serac (Vincent Cassel) and his outlier brother created another world-changing A.I. that was named Solomon, in accordance with Biblical lineages. Located out in a facility in Sonora, Mexico, Solomon seemed to be successful enough at first, but Jean Mi's schizophrenia rubbed off on the predictive technology, giving Solomon mental problems, so to speak. And speaking is something that Solomon is quite good at, with Jean Mi (Paul Cooper) as its voice.

During Solomon's conversation with Dolores and Caleb, it's explained that some outliers were able to be successfully reconditioned and were sent back out into the world. However, those who went through the process and offered no signs of getting better met a pretty unsavory fate. Hundreds of other people (at least) were shown to be held in the seemingly abandoned facility's cryogenic chambers that surrounded the central chamber which housed Jean Mi himself, and it was revealed that those people among many others were marked as dead to the public. (Even the current "Man in White" William was noted as deceased.)

Caleb Was "Successfully" Reconditioned By Solomon

As revealed by the A.I. system, Caleb was one of the first to go through a revolutionary treatment that aimed at reconfiguring outliers' brains to make them more passive. The treatment only helps one out of every ten patients or so, and Caleb's success was a major victory for the Serac brothers, even if the science hadn't advanced to its fullest potential in that iteration. The system did mention to Caleb and Dolores that there was always a risk of regression, which is clearly what Caleb was experiencing.

Prior to the reconditioning, Caleb's military squad was on a mission overseas to take down an upper tier group of insurgents. Though they pulled off the kills themselves without a hitch, Caleb realized too late that his team had also been marked for death. While most of them died, it was revealed that Caleb's buddy Francis (Kid Cudi) did not die in combat like everyone thought. Rather, he survived and kept going on a variety of RICO missions with Caleb, whose reconditioning and frequent Limbic tab-taking left him with dissociative and misinterpreted memories. Bernard and Stubbs are seeking a comprehensive list of those who made it through the process, so it's possible other familiar characters will show up on that list.

Caleb Is The One Who Killed Francis

"Passed Pawn" relayed Caleb's fractured memory through his AR reconditioning therapy, mainly by looping back multiple times to shed more light on a particular event. It was revealed that the RICO missions Caleb and Francis went on together were specifically to round up other threats to society, since using reconditioned subjects proved to be fruitful in taking outliers down. Perhaps it worked too well in the case of taking down Keith Mars...er...Whitman, the pharmaceutical bigwig played by Veronica Mars vet Enrico Colantoni.

Though originally purported to be the head of the insurgents that blew up Caleb's squad, Whitman was actually partially responsible for the Limbic tabs that screwed with Caleb's memories. After asking too many questions about the tabs' purpose, Whitman was put on the RICO hit list. He foreshadowed the inevitable by warning Caleb that RICO would often pit its criminals against each other when targeting outliers, to leave as few footprints behind as possible. That heads-up saved Caleb's life, though it was deadly for Francis, who would have greedily killed his friend for the financial windfall.

Dolores Set Caleb Up As The Real Key To Humanity's Downfall

This whole time that Dolores has been running around and digging into Incite's background, her overall motivations have been questioned by both Westworld characters and viewers. For a Host who seemed so dead-set on collapsing humanity, she'd spent a lot of time not actually taking any human beings down, save for the situations when she was specifically attacked. However, "Passed Pawn" revealed the being who's actually meant to take down humanity is indeed a human being, with Dolores having set Cal up to be the organic savior for the Hosts.

Apparently, Dolores and Caleb's first encounter was anything but a chance meeting, which isn't a complete surprise. More shocking, however, is that Dolores was prepared for their Sonora trip to be her last stop of the journey, and that she just knew that learning about his memory lapses would convince Caleb to take the reins for the vengeful Host's mission. Not that Dolores (in one form or another) can be considered 100% dead or out of the game after Maeve's attack, of course. There are still puzzle pieces that haven't been revealed just yet.

Clementine And Hanaryo Returned!

While I feel like a dolt for not recognizing Clementine's Host ID number when it popped up in Episode 6, even in the midst of questioning who those other two hosts were, that didn't take away from my excitement upon seeing Angela Sarafyan's big return to Westworld. And she wasn't alone, either, as viewers also witnessed the return of Tao Okamoto as Hanaryo, Shogunworld's counterpart for Westworld's Armistice.

Both hosts obviously had different narratives in this scenario, having been sent to kill off the Dolores clone portrayed by Hiroyuki Sanada. (Turns out Hanaryo was not happy to see this version desecrating Musashi's image.) Interestingly, Tessa Thompson's currently singed Charlotte Hale clone was the one who gave the Yakuza leader the forewarning, now having clearly pulled allegiance away from Dolores. It still hasn't been made clear what the Musashi clone has been up to, though his introductory appearance made it look like he was manufacturing lots of cortical fluid, presumably meant to get pumped into more undisclosed Host bodies.

With just one episode left in Season 3, the recently renewed Westworld airs on HBO on Sunday nights at 9:00 p.m. ET. Hit up our Summer 2020 schedule to see what else is on the way in the next few months, and then hit up our rundown of TV shows that the average Westworld fan would probably get into.

Westworld will be back. HBO has renewed the series for Season 4 as fans are currently in the midst of its third season, which has already answered a lot of huge questions. On social media, Evan Rachel Wood took to Instagram to celebrate and shared a cute exchange with Janelle Monae in the process.

First some context. Evan Rachel Wood plays android/host Dolores on Westworld, and singer/actress Janelle Monae loves androids. The lead character in Monae’s multi-part concept album series is an android named Cindi. Monae’s debut EP, Monae’s Metropolis: The Chase Suite, kicked things off before The ArchAndroid and The Electric Lady continued the story. Hence, the cuteness of her exchange with Wood regarding Westworld’s Season 4 renewal.

The cuteness began when Evan Rachel Wood took to Instagram to celebrate Westworld getting renewed. In the comment section, Janelle Monae replied with a fun comment. Monae has created many songs from an android's perspective, so it's fitting that she's all about Westworld's Dolores. First, you can check out Wood’s post below:

Evan Rachel Wood's celebratory posted prompted a response from Janelle Monae that should delight fans of Westworld as well as fans of Monae's work. Wood herself had a response for the android lover that made the whole exchange even cuter. Take a look:

As for Westworld, it returned for its third season in March. The premiere was a welcome reprieve for fans who only had the trailer and casting news to scrutinize since the second season, which aired back in 2018. Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul has been one of the new cast members to join Evan Rachel Wood on the sci-fi drama.

Despite Westworld returning, there has been no shortage of questions surrounding the labyrinth of plot points. Between those Game of Thrones cameos and other developments, there has been a lot for Westworld fans to buzz about. Knowing Season 4 is on the horizon should only add to the excitement.

There is nothing like watching the drama of a season unfold and knowing there will be more to come. Unless something happens to Dolores, Janelle Monae’s “fav droid” should be back for more of the action. Speaking of droids, answers on if Ed Harris’ Man in Black is a human or a host are on their way, according to Harris, so stay tuned for that.

A premiere date for Season 4 has not been announced yet. Here is hoping that there is not a two-year break between Season 3 and Season 4 like there was between Westworld’s second season and its current third. Whenever Westworld returns, one should hope that Janelle Monae’s favorite will be back.

You can watch Evan Rachel Wood in new episodes of Westworld Season 3 when they air Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO. The series’ return marks one this spring’s many premieres.

Spoilers below for the latest episode of Westworld, so be warned.

My brain hurts at just the thought of Westworld Season 3 already being 5/8 of the way through, but to be honest, there are many things about Season 3 that have pushed my brain to the snapping point. Episode 5, titled "Genre," certainly earned its share of quizzical looks and presumptive "Aha!" moments, from Caleb's hallucinatory experience with the drug also named "genre" to Serac's ability to set up just about any situation he pleases. (Weird, though, that he so conspicuously left Liam Dempsey Sr.'s blood spatter on that non-destroyed plane wing.)

I definitely have lots of questions about some of those moments and several others, which are currently in good company with all the unanswered questions about the Man in Black's return in "The Mother of Exiles." But rather than loose inquiries about Westworld's twisty narrative and characters, I'd rather throw out some theories that I've been forming as Season 3 has gone on. (Note that I'm not pompously under the impression that these theories are all exclusive to me, but I generally don't do a lot of online theory-searching, specifically to not be persuaded by others.)

The Maeve And Caleb Storylines Take Place In Two Different Timelines

Westworld's first two seasons were very tightly hinged on fractured timelines giving viewers false expectations, and I don't believe co-creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy completely departed from that approach. To me, Season 3's clearest possible time setting switch would involve the Caleb and Maeve stories being set apart by an as-yet-undecipherable gap in time. One root of this theory is the Episode 4 scene where Serac takes Maeve to Arnold's house, supposedly three months after a divergence occurred there, which we're made to assume is when Dolores created the other hosts. But what if that's not entirely the case?

For one, Arnold's house looked like it hadn't been used for Host-cloning purposes in years, rather than months, though that's hardly the strongest sign of proof. But also consider that Vincent Cassel remains ageless throughout the episode, despite Serac's flashbacks showcasing events from several different years, so it's difficult to ascertain how old he is at any given time. Finally, I'm suspicious about Maeve's story connecting only with Serac's so far, and only after she "escaped" her simulation experiment. But does this mean that Serac sought Maeve out before taking his fight directly to Dolores and Cal, or did he only draft Maeve after his previous plans were thrwarted?

Some Or All Of Westworld Season 3 Has Been A Rehoboam Simulation

Sharing a lot of the same ground as the first, this theory assumes that viewers are indeed being tricked by some of what we've seen so far. But rather than the two major storylines being separated by time, they'd be separated by the fabric of reality itself. Serac is someone who only goes on the offensive after he's established how to avoid all negative outcomes, which is where Rehobaom becomes handy AF. For all audiences know, some of Dolores' victorious moments with Caleb may be simulated fabrications originating from Serac's Rehoboam experiments to determine the best way to undermine the hosts' power.

The "everything is a Rehoboam simulation" theory was spreading before the tech had been named, but many people seem convinced that it's an all-or-nothing situation when it comes to what's "real" and what isn't. Vincent Cassel himself seemed to confirm recently that Serac is fully a human being, and neither a secret Host nor a Rehoboam avatar. Now, Cassel didn't stress that Serac has been a living and breathing human in every single scene he appears in, which is fine, since's often portrayed as a hologram. However, it still provides more than enough virtual rope to keep the partial-simulation theory lassoed close until proven right or wrong.

Caleb Was Responsible For Something Truly Catastrophic

From his mother's degenerative mental disease to the choppy flashbacks Caleb had while being psychoanalyzed by the A.I. version of his brother-in-arms Francis (voiced by Kid Cudi), Westworld has made it clear that the Aaron Paul character is dealing with memory-related issues on a regular basis. We know that he lucidly remembers certain traumas, such as the day his mother abandoned him to be raised by milkshakes, but Caleb's drug trip in Episode 5 brought a few more major memories to light, which Caleb was not ready to handle. (It was an interesting semi-reveal, given the real-world studies about how memories are linked to psychoactive substances.)

Previously, I would've guessed that Caleb's military work solely involved lower-tier Black Ops missions for the CIA or another clandestine government agency. But if Liam Jr.'s judgmental pre-death outburst in Episode 5 was sincere, and not just heightened through Caleb's P.O.V., it's perhaps implied that Caleb was responsible for something far more massively traumatic. (He was too young to have blown Paris up, though not for later divergences.) The flashbacks made it look like Veronica Mars vet Enrico Colantoni will be a victim whose death Caleb blocked out. But how important was that mystery character, and is there a deeper conspiracy behind why Caleb can't remember things?

Bernard And Stubbs Are Unwittingly Also Dolores' Clones

Though Jeffrey Wright's Bernard is one of Westworld's most important and celebrated characters, he's one of few whose narrative can remain entirely opaque from premiere to finale. As such, it's not at all surprising that the show hasn't yet delivered exhaustive explanations for why Dolores recreated Bernard ahead of her war against Serac and humanity. What if the Host pearl that she loaded with Bernard's data and Arnold's memories already had Dolores' information in its core? In other words, what if Bernard is a Dolores minion who just doesn't know it yet? As Martin put it: "You've always been of two minds, haven't you, Bernard?"

Think about it. Characters like Charlotte Hale and Martin Connells were already on morally dubious paths when Dolores stepped in, while Bernard has almost always kept to his best behavior, at least when others weren't controlling him. And what better way to keep Bernard convinced that he's on the level than by giving him brazen respect and loyalty via Luke Hemsworth's Ashley Stubbs, whose suicide-gone-wrong story never rang legit to me. The main question here is "Why?" In this case, I'd think Dolores would use Bernard and Stubbs to protagonistically earn Serac's trust through shared target, only for the Host duo to blindly double-cross the trillionaire at every step.

At Least One Of Dolores' Clones Will Rebel Against Her

The seeds for this theory were definitely planted (just below skin level) when the show revealed that the Charlotte Hale duplicate has struggled with self-mutilation impulses, presumably related to maintaining dual identities. Episode 5 went deeper down this narrative pathway with Bernard and Martin's conversation, in which the former straight-up asked the Tommy Flanagan character if he ever questioned what Dolores tasked him with doing. He mentioned worlds bleeding, which possibly ties into the idea that Dolores' memories have been popping into Bernard's head.

Actions spoke much louder than words when Martin didn't immediately respond to Bernard's question with dismissive A.I. Scottish-ness; he instead broke eye contact to contemplate the idea. Granted, Martin sacrificed himself like a motherfucker in order to take out key members of Serac's security team. Still, Westworld is always instilling in viewers the idea that Host sentience runs against the grain of Host subservience, so just because one version of Dolores is running the show, that doesn't mean her counterparts' coding will remain exactly the same. Thematically speaking, this show has just about earned the right to eventually turn into a Battle Royale of pseudo-Doloreses.

We Haven't Seen The Last Of The Dempsey Family

Westworld laid out a blueprint of Liam Dempsey Sr.'s adult life in "Genre," though almost entirely through the skewed eyes of Serac, his admittedly frank murderer. Strangely enough, the episode also (probably) killed off Liam Jr., with Lena Waithe's Ash doing the shooting. It's obviously possible that the Dempsey males' deaths coincided in order to push the focus entirely on Serac.

However, considering the family's multi-generational importance in respect to Rehoboam and Serac's history, I can't help but think that viewers still have a few things left to learn about the Dempsey family tree. Perhaps Liam Sr. had some kind of personal or business relationship with Robert Ford, or maybe someone else from the Dempsey family tree will suddenly show up to deliver some left-field chaos.

Space Is Definitely Involved... Somehow... For Someone

In the Westworld theory meta-verse, the topic of space inevitably pops up in some fashion, because science fiction demands it to be so! I wasn't part of that train of thought before, but I'm now a paying traveler. Admittedly, it's largely based on two instances, though there definitely may have been things I missed. Early in Episode 4, Bernard gazed into the distance as two space shuttles were landing, just before another craft made its fiery launch upward. An innocuous scene meant to drive home how out of place Bernard is in the real world, complete with a memory of Arnold's son? Could be, but...

Episode 5 then came along and delivered another one of Ramin Djawadi's stellar instrumental covers, this time for David Bowie's "Space Odyssey." It started up while Caleb witnessed the outside world reacting to everyone's Rehoboam info getting leaked, and the tune ended disturbingly whenever Dolores shot down those would-be assassins, all while taking a few shots of her own. Unlike Bernard's scene mentioned above, the on-screen visuals for "Space Odyssey" didn't appear to showcase anything space-related, but my expectations for Westworld to finally get spacey in Season 3 were not stunted. After seeing a legitimate Game of Thrones dragon, nothing is off the table, people.

With three episodes left to go in Season 3, Westworld airs Sunday nights on HBO at 9:00 p.m. ET.

Spoiler warning for anyone who hasn't yet watched Westworld's "The Mother of Exiles."

Across its first three episodes, Westworld introduced fans to the real world through Aaron Paul's Caleb and Evan Rachel Wood's deadly Dolores, while also keeping viewers invested with the park's situation through Jeffrey Wright's Bernard and Thandie Newton's Maeve. Not to mention the introduction of Vincent Cassel's Serac and the return of Luke Hemsworth's Stubbs (and some Game of Thrones cameos). But it took the fourth episode to finally address two key questions viewers have had ever since Season 2 ended: what happened to Ed Harris' Man in Black, and what were those host pearls that Dolores smuggled out of the park?

Thankfully, both of those questions got answered in pretty comprehensive ways in Episode 4, titled "The Mother of Exiles." Join us below in diving into both the Man in Black's current whereabouts and the identities of Dolores' Host pearls.

What Has The Man In Black Been Up To?

The last time Westworld fans laid eyes on Ed Harris' William, known to many as the Man in Black, he was in a presumably futuristic scenario in which a presumed Host version of his daughter Emily was asking about his fidelity. (Lots of presumptions to make there.) But here in the show's present-day timeline, William is definitely going through some things, and is far beyond being emotionally and/or mentally equipped to handle anything. Neither the outside world nor the inside world were very welcoming for the husband and father in his constant state of mourning.

Before Charlotte Hale arrived and caught William in the midst of his delusions with Katja Herbers' Emily, his fractured life was fully on display. He easily proved himself to be in no shape to join an emergency shareholders meeting for Delos, which was supposedly what drove Hale to visit him. However, viewers soon learned that the true purpose of her visit was not only to call him out for hallucinating Emily, but also to get him committed to a mental institution. Not only does that physically imprison the man who caused her so much pain as a Westworld Host, but it also forfeits William's shares in Delos back to the company, which factors into Dolores' business battle against Serac.

Thankfully, Evan Rachel Wood's Dolores got to appear to him in her signature blue dress one more time, as opposed to only having the Dolores-influenced Hale interacting with William. Speaking with Deadline, Wood spoke about William's psychological condition, and what she thinks the true tragedy is concerning their decades-long relationship, as it were. In her words:

In just about all the ways, William's never-ending obsession with Robert Ford's creations is what drove him off the ledge, and put him in a position where he doubted his own humanity, along with that of those around him. It's a never-ending cycle with him, which possibly makes it irrelevant whether or not he's actually a human or Host.

Who Were The Host Pearls That Dolores Smuggled Out Of Westworld?

As soon as Dolores made it clear she was vacating Westworld with a selection of different Host pearl core brain things, viewers went into hard-theorizing mode on what Hosts would be joining Dolores on her real-world quest to subdue humanity. (Teddy was a frequent guess, and one that I fully expected.)

Episode 4 even brought back Hiroyuki Sanada’s former Shogunworld Host Musashi, who was revealed to be in the real world and serving as a Yakuza boss named Sato. He got into a fight with Maeve and left her for dead as Serac’s crew closed in. It was quite meaningful that he didn’t just quickly slice through her skull and pop her pearl out, considering who Musashi really is at this point.

As it was made clear before the episode drew to its close, Dolores didn’t take pearls from a variety of different Hosts. She took Bernard’s orb, and then a selection of her own nefarious Dolores pearls! (As well as one other pearl that remains unidentified, as far as I can tell.) So Tessa Thompson's Charlotte Hale, Tommy Flanagan's Martin Connells, Musashi and Dolores herself are all rocking different pearls that feature Dolores' vengeful personality. Because when all she needs are the best soldiers, who would better serve in her army than a group of Doloreses?

There are some questions that still need to be answered when it comes to how all this plays out. Such as whether or not Charlotte Hale (a.k.a. Hale-ores) is 100% Dolores' personality without any of Hale's, even as Hale is dealing with various elements of the human character's personal life. The only way I see Martin Connells going back to his former personality is just being annoyed with Liam, which is already how Flanagan is playing it, so it's a moot point.

In her talk with Deadline, Evan Rachel Wood shared the visual clue that could have tipped viewers off about Dolores' other Hosts:

Did the big reveal "blue" your mind? Or were you more shocked to learn about the Man in Black's new existence as the Inmate in White?

Here’s hoping we learn more answers when Westworld airs Sunday nights on HBO at 8:00 p.m. ET.

Westworld spoilers abound below, so be warned before you keep reading!

It took nearly two years, but the Delos Host uprising is once again in full swing, with Westworld's third season finally making its highly anticipated debut on HBO (during a free preview, no less). Nearly the entire runtime was spent outside the parks' universes and completely in the "real world," where it's been three months since the Westworld-destroying events of Season 2. Creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy have introduced a variety of new characters to join Evan Rachel Wood's Dolores and Jeffrey Wright's Bernard in keeping things mysterious as Season 3's The New World kicks off.

Considering Westworld isn't a show where viewers are expected to understand everything from beginning to end, the Season 3 premiere was appropriately flummoxing. (Even its title, "Parce Domine" is an enigmatic, comma-free use of the Biblical phrasing, translating to "Spare Lord.") While we could spend the next week formulating questions about every bit of minutiae on display in the futuristic world, here are our biggest inquiries about Westworld's premiere.

What Should We Learn From The New Opening Titles?

With its first two seasons, Westworld set a high bar for opening credits sequences, setting its unsettling theme to a series of initially indecipherable images, and Season 3 is no different. For one, the piano-playing "skeleton" is closer to a human form than it was previously, and it looks like we're going to see a robotic eagle entering the fray this season, though it might not fare well. Beyond the imposing presence of Incite's big ball of information, the opening titles most often showcases a plain Host mold breaking through water's reflective surface, and in a way that suggests the current versions of Hosts will be usurped by something more advanced.

What's Dolores' Endgame, Besides Just Killing Everyone?

With enviable abilities comprising many different skillsets, Evan Rachel Wood's Dolores could easily become the world's most deadly and prolific serial killer or mass murderer, assuming her entire goal was just to decimate the human race. Instead, her crosshairs are focused tightly onto the company Incite and its employees. Clearly, she wants all of the personal information that Incite has been compiling about, but to what end? And how does it all connect back to the park and Hosts taking over the world? Is she developing the world's longest kill list, or will there be a more nuanced outcome?

What Kinds Of Horrifying Information Does Incite Have?

Dolores knows a thing or two (million) about the monstrous behavior that human beings are capable of, and that's just from the things that were done to her in Westworld over the years. The argument could be made, of course, that acts committed inside of the Delos parks were done with the knowledge that none of it was real, as it were. The only thing more valuable than human atrocities in a fictional world, then, would probably be humanity's most egregious sins outside of the parks, right? How many dirty deeds are up for discovery within Incite's data banks, and how many familiar characters will be responsible?

What Kinds Of Implants Do Cal And Other Humans Have?

When Aaron Paul's military vet Cal is visiting presumably his mother in the hospital, Kid Cudi's Francis can be heard asking if Cal thinks about getting his "implant turned back on" in order to smooth out life's rougher edges. But it's precisely those hardships that still feel real to Cal, so he doesn't want to. But what are these implants? Are they basically mood stabilizers that replace prescription medications, or are there other uses? The more ominous question, perhaps, is whether or not those implants can be compromised by Dolores or other A.I. beings.

What's Up With Charlotte Hale And The Delos Board?

Westworld viewers are well aware that the human form of Tessa Thompson's Charlotte Hale was killed off in the Season 2 finale after she'd murdered Shannon Woodward's Elsie. As far as anyone knows, Charlotte 2.0 has one of Dolores' cores inside her, giving the character far different motivations as Delos' director of the board. In particular, she dismisses the Westworld massacre by saying that Delos engineers and board members made up most of the body count, and wants to take the company private while producing a new wave of hosts. The board vocally disapproved, but after Charlotte was able to mute one member electronically, I started wondering how many among them are like Charlotte and Robert Ford's electro-shareholder, and how that will affect things.

How Many New Hosts Has Dolores Made?

In the Season 3 premiere's cold open, Dolores told the murderous Incite retiree that she was the last of her kind, which was quite the loaded comment, considering Bernard, Maeve and other sentient-leaning Hosts were still out there. By the end of the episode, we see that she'd also created a Host version of Tommy Flanagan's security goon Martin Connells. (Might he have the core from James Marsden's Teddy Flood inside his head?) Plus, other A.I. humanoids appear to exist elsewhere in the world, so could Dolores being "the last of her kind" mean that she's putting copies of her own core into every Host she makes?

Where Is Bernard's Story Going?

When Season 2 ended, the narrative set up a Dolores vs. Bernard scenario as an overlay for the Dolores vs. Humanity conflict, with the idea being that Bernard would continue reverting to his faux-human instincts. Jeffrey Wright's on-the-lam Host got recognized by a couple of obnoxious coworkers, and Bernard's only course of action was to flip back into survival mode and take those cretins out, after which he embarked on a boat ride back to Westworld. Before that, viewers watched Bernard flip between personalities using a button that was likely created in order to keep his go-to Host persona hidden from actual humans. Bernard has still been making sure Dolores never found them, though. But now that he's been discovered, what's next?

What Was Maeve's Post-Credits Scene About?

The final post-credit minutes of Westworld's premiere at last brought Emmy winner Thandie Newton's Maeve into Season 3. It was quite the heightened moment, with the smartly dressed Maeve waking up inside a fancy bedroom holding a gun, only to discover a dead body and a bloodied German man tied up in the next room. Her bloody knuckles offered clues about the bloody German, but the situation got far more serious when she looked outside and saw Nazi flags and citizens being rounded up by soldiers. It was already revealed that Season 3's new park is influenced by the fascist-heavy Italy during World War II. But how will that lead Maeve to Vincent Cassel's Serac (as seen in the trailers), and how will the Nazi regime play into the Season 3 narrative?

With some of these answers and more coming in during the next seven episodes, Westworld airs Sunday nights on HBO at 9:00 p.m. ET. Let us know in the comments your answers for the questions posed above.

With only days to go before Westworld Season 3 arrives on HBO, viewers are in a pretty familiar place, in that we only have the vaguest clue of what the upcoming episodes will actually be about. It's almost a (Lisa) joy at this point, with anticipation butting heads with rampant curiosity while trying to remember all of the Season 2 details that will likely become relevant as the third season gets started. Westworld didn't make things any clearer with its recent trio of Season 3 trailers, either.

While waiting for showrunners Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy to unleash the beast with Westworld Season 3 (which is being dubbed The New World), let's take a deep dive into all the big questions those trailers inspired.

How Do Dolores And Caleb Meet, And Why Isn't He Way More Freaked Out?

Aaron Paul is one of a few new "human" characters being introduced in Westworld Season 3, but not that much is known about him, nor how he and Evan Rachel Wood's Dolores first meet. Whatever happened, I want to know how that first meet-cute-bot makes Caleb so enthused by Dolores that he isn't screaming to high heavens after seeing her tech-savvy skeleton without most of its skin. And is that a coffin, or some kind of shipping container?

Who Or What Is Vincent Cassel's Serac?

Portraying another new character, Vincent Cassel joins Westworld as the mysterious Serac. In one trailer, Serac welcomes Thandie Newton' Maeve into his luxurious "world," and then tasks her with finding Dolores and killing her. Then elsewhere, Serac is seen holding Caleb at gunpoint, presumably also with the intent to find Dolores. But why is he tracking Dolores? Did someone hire him, or is he the one with the personal vendetta? Also...he's human, right?

What Are Arnold's Plans With Westworld And/Or Dolores?

Now that Robert Ford's partner in artificial crime Arnold Weber will officially be out and about in Westworld Season 3, it will be interesting to see what his motivations are. The western-themed park was pretty much destroyed during the course of Season 2, so will his next step be to fix everything up and bring it back to its former glory, or will he raze it all and start over with a new park idea? Also, he's possibly a little vengeful for all the destruction, so should we expect Arnold to go hard after Dolores? Could it be that he's the one who puts Serac to the task of finding the self-sufficient host?

Does Maeve Actually Make It To The Real World?

Though perhaps not for the proper reasons, Westworld's Maeve has long wanted to defect from her host-ly ways in order to escape the park. It appears she gets to do just that in the trailers, only with a mission of death as opposed to one of reuniting with her daughter. But I'm not fully convinced that Maeve's outside-the-park moments are actually real and not a figment of her imagination.

What's So Important Inside The Man In Black's Mouth?

More than a few sci-fi shows have featured characters who were set up with tracking devices hidden in their teeth, which is the only kind of half-explanation I can think of for why a non-dentist would be using a scary AF tool to dig around in The Man in Black's mouth. Otherwise, what is happening here, as well as in the other moments with The Man In Black? Perhaps the bigger question here is whether or not the William we're seeing is the human version or the host version who appeared at the tail end of Season 2.

What Is Going Into Or Out Of Dolores' Body?

To be expected, a lot of moments in the Westworld trailer provoke questions that aren't anymore complicated than "WTF is this, though?" Case in point: Dolores appears to be going through some kind of painful blood-fluid extractions, unless she's actually having the fluids pumped into her. In any case, it seems like that process could be handled without tubes being jabbed into her chest and arms. Although I suppose the pain might be intentional...

Is Teddy's Core Inside Charlotte's Body?

At the end of Westworld Season 2, the human version of Tessa Thompson's Charlotte Hale was murdered by Dolores-as-Host-Charlotte, but we know that Dolores took the Charlotte form with her into the real world. In the episode just before that, viewers watched as James Marsden's Teddy killed himself after reaching sentience. Theories abound that Teddy's host core was one of the ones Dolores nabbed from the park, and after seeing the way Dolores and Charlotte laid together in the Comic-Con trailer last year, those theories multiplied. So is Teddy still alive, as it were, and will we see James Marsden at all?

What Happened To These Buildings?

Westworld Season 3 is said to be partially set in a futuristic Los Angeles, giving viewers our first big look at the "real" world. But what's up with that one skyscraper being overgrown with plant life? Is it another example of the dichotomy between the "living" and...the otherwise? Or is the aftermath from some kind of global event or disaster?

Is That Big Ball Connected To Incite?

Incite is the Westworld-derived company whose website is home to the show's hidden trailers. It's some kind of a data-mining company, which speaks heavily to the kinds of information that people are being tracked for within the Delos parks. But what is that big mysterious ball of lights, and how does it factor into Caleb and Dolores' stories?

How Will Nazi-Filled Italy Enter Westworld's Story?

With all the logical additions that were made for Westworld Season, one of the weirder elements was the debut of a park set in Italy during WWII, when Nazism was in full effect. Given the backlash to Amazon's polarizing Nazi-killing action drama Hunters, one might not have expected Westworld to hearken back to that terrible point in human history. I suppose it's meant to give the park visitors a chance to enter a military-centered narrative, but I can't imagine it'll be handled on the show with kid gloves and without offending anyone.

Okay, so I probably have a lot more questions that that, if we're being honest with ourselves. How long a time span does Season 3 cover? What in the world are NFL great Marshawn Lynch and rapper Kid Cudi going to get up to in their scenes? Will Anthony Hopkins' Robert Ford be back in some way? The inquiries just keep going, people, so stifle that flow by checking out the main Season 3 trailer below.

Find out the answer to some of these questions and more when Westworld debuts Season 3 on HBO on Sunday, March 15, at 9:00 p.m. ET. Check our Winter and Spring TV schedule to see what other shows are hitting the small screen around that time as well.

HBO has always been a hub for cutting edge television, but the sci-fi epic Westworld is on another level entirely. The show is cinematic and epic, featuring a killer cast of actors. Fans have been eagerly anticipating any indication of what might happen in the show's upcoming third season, which will introduce some new characters. But most importantly, it looks like the third trailer will take us out of the titular park.

Westworld Season 2 ended with both Dolores successfully leaving the park's island and venturing into the main land. Clearly the third season of HBO's acclaimed drama was going to take us new places, and the first complete trailer for Season 3 teased just that. Check out the full trailer for Westworld Season 3 below.

Does anyone else have chills? Let's break down exactly what we're being shown in this first glimpse into Westworld's third season on HBO. From the look of it, it's going to be an epic and action-packed war. Man vs. Machine, and I can't wait.

This trailer opens on none other than Evan Rachel Woods' Dolores, which should come as no surprise to the fandom. Dolores narrates that she was born in pain, which has hardened her and inspired her to declare all out war against the living. She and her fellow robots were designed not to ever leave the park, but that's exactly what the show's protagonist has done. And it's going to be a blood bath.

From there we see flashes of returning characters, although they're not going to behave nearly the same as in previous seasons. Tessa Thompson's Charlotte is actually dead, and the one that'll be in Season 3 is actually a robot crafted by Dolores herself. We also see Jeffrey Wright's Bernard, who is in the ruins of Westworld. But that's about all we see of the park, as the rest of the trailer takes place out in the real world.

The next character to get a line of dialogue is a newcomer. Breaking Bad's Aaron Paul is joining Westworld in Season 3 as Caleb and it looks like he's going to be Dolores' new ally in the battles to come. He's also disenfranchised by society, although it's unclear if Caleb is a man or machine. He's shown in some epic action sequences, full of explosions. It looks like Westworld is going to get even crazier in its third season.

This above trailer also revealed interesting developments for Maeve and The Man in Black. Thandie Newton's character has been on her own path throughout the show, and hasn't been focused on violence and revenge like Dolores. The two robots will come to a conflict in the third season, as Maeve is tasked with killing Dolores by Black Swan actor Vincent Cassel. And she may be doing it with a sword.

As for Ed Harris' William, it looks like his time tormenting the denizens of Westworld might come in handy. He believes he's meant to save the world, using his skills to take out Dolores and her compatriots. But the Man in Black also had a wild cliffhanger at the end of Season 2, so it's unclear exactly how he'll factor into Season 3's main story.

Clearly Westworld Season 3 will not be pulling any punches, and it seems like just about anything could happen. The new season will premiere March 15th on HBO. In the meantime, check out our midseason premiere list to plan your next binge watch.

There are two types of people in this world those that have seen Cats and those that are avoiding it because they talked to somebody who had seen it. The film is somewhat unique in the way it has seemingly galvanized people in horror. Whether your issue with Cats is carried over from the Broadway show, it has almost no plot and what it has doesn't make much sense, or if your issue is more specific to the film, the Island of Dr. Moreau rejects that make up the characters of the film, there is plenty to not love about Cats.

And yet, Evan Rachel Wood, the star of Westworld and Frozen II, still wasn't quite prepared for what she saw. The actress took to Twitter to voice her shock. Wood wasn't unprepared for the badness, but was unprepared for the level of badness, saying the movie was "actually worse than I thought it would be. And I already thought it would be horrible. But….I am actually speechless."

Evan Rachel Wood then took to Instagram to drop a series of F-bombs to continue to show her shock regarding how amazing the movie was.

What's most interesting about Evan Rachel Wood's particular level of disbelief is that she focuses quite strongly on the film's choreography. She takes issue with the fact that the dance moves were changed from the stage version, which shows that she knows the play from Broadway well, and, we can assume, doesn't hate it like this. It seems in this case Wood is mostly frustrated with the movie as an adaptation, which is actually a unique view among those that are being critical of the film.

Even Rachel Wood eventually deleted her initial takes on Cats. She posted later to Twitter that, while she doesn't take back anything she said, she was afraid that people would read into her tweet incorrectly, and she wanted to set the record straight.

Evan Rachel Wood doesn't want her negative comments to blow back on the cast, who weren't the ones that made the decisions that she disagrees with so strongly. Wood had spoken on Instagram about her theater background, and how she was previously married to a dancer, and thus understood that profession well. Ultimately, it seems Cats the movie fails to properly represent and honor the stage show from which it came.

If you loved Cats on Broadway, it seems Cats is a bad movie. If you've never seen Cats on Broadway, it seems Cats is a bad movie. And yet, no movie that has had so small a box office opening is getting talked about quite the way Cats is. This movie is something truly unique. At this point, it feels like those that are going to see it are doing so just to experience the spectacle of it all.

Along with Frozen II advancing the stories of the beloved characters introduced in the original movie back in 2013, the sequel also introduces some new voices into the mix. Evan Rachel Wood plays Queen Iduna, the mother of Anna and Elsa. Although Frozen fans know the character’s fated shipwreck, there is more to the fallen Queen of Arendelle, and Wood gets to sing the first song in Frozen II.

“All Is Found” is a sweet lullaby Evan Rachel Wood’s Queen Iduna sings to the sisters when they are young that sets up the new lore being discovered in the film. And because it’s on a Frozen soundtrack, of course it’s going to be put on repeat and sung to in households globally! When CinemaBlend recently sat down with the new additions to the Frozen II cast, Wood and Sterling K. Brown, here’s what they said:

Well, this is adorable! When CinemaBlend’s own Eric Eisenberg asked the pair how they feel about entering the franchise that famously collectively got stuck in all our heads, Evan Rachel Wood showed some pure excitement about the idea. The actress talked about how it blows her mind that she’s been singing Disney lullabies to her son since he was a baby and now she gets to sing her own. And thought of other families doing the same – wild!

Frozen II seeks to unravel the mystery of King Agnarr and Queen Iduna’s past and answer some questions about Elsa’s ice powers. Evan Rachel Wood also lends her voice to a show-stopping number called “Show Yourself” with Idina Menzel’s Elsa.

As for Sterling K. Brown, his character of General Mattias doesn’t have a song (although he did once), but at the movie’s premiere he definitely felt the energy of being a part of the Frozen franchise. He described that the lively audience clapped after every music number like it was a Broadway show and tons of people showed up all dressed up. He even spotted a few dressed as his character prior to him being introduced on the big screen!

Disney musicals are so iconic and you can definitely feel how special being a part of one is for Evan Rachel Wood and Sterling K. Brown! The pair have certainly had major successes in their own rights already, too. Wood is well-known for starring in the HBO hit Westworld and Brown for his role in This Is Us and in Black Panther.

Only time will tell how Frozen II and its songs will affect the masses and if their characters will return in another Frozen sequel. Check out our review for the movie and whether it’s worth it to buy a 3D ticket!

Frozen II is in theaters now. Here's how much it made in its opening weekend at the box office.

Oh man. Westworld brought itself back online in a wonderfully unexpected way just before HBO aired the Game of Thrones finale. That was the best way to experience it, without knowing it was a trailer for Westworld Season 3. The trailer started with Breaking Bad's Aaron Paul in a futuristic setting, mumbling in a voiceover. It looked like it was going to be a dark personal exploration, just a new drama show following Paul. And then ... at the very end, we got the connection to Westworld as Evan Rachel Wood's Dolores appeared.

Surprise! A light version of the Westworld theme kicked in, and we got the note that Westworld Season 3 will be coming in 2020.

Some fans are busy making Jesse Pinkman Breaking Bad jokes, of course, but this seems to have renewed excitement for Westworld Season 3.

I have to say, I needed that. Westworld Season 2 didn't look like anything to me, which was not necessarily the show's fault. But it felt like the confident, controlled storytelling of Season 1 got lost in Season 2. This promo showed Westworld squarely back in charge of the storytelling.

We got you. Again.

It was already revealed that Aaron Paul would be joining Westworld Season 3, so there was that hint going into the trailer, if you remembered that detail. Lena Waithe, and Vincent Cassel were also announced to be joining the cast.

Westworld creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy haven't shared too much about the new season, but Nolan did talk about the "radical shift" to come, and we already got a big hint to that in this trailer:

Westworld Season 2 ended with Dolores and Bernard (Jeffrey Wright) escaping Westworld for the real world. The first trailer gives us a glimpse of Dolores out in the world, and shows how she meets Aaron Paul's character. It remains to be seen how central Aaron Paul's character will be in Season 3. Maybe that was trailer-only footage, just to clue us into the tone and structure of Season 3? We'll have to see.

Westworld Season 2 was hit with backlash, but the HBO boss brushed it off as not a big deal. For every critic, there was someone who loved it. Kinda sounds like the final season of Game of Thrones in that respect.

As this first trailer noted, Westworld III is coming in 2020. We should expect a full trailer, beyond this wonderful announcement, coming later.

The first Frozen 2 trailer just came out, and in addition to some major snowflake clues, it appears we've also just met some new characters. At the very least, we got a good look at the new girl. The other character is more ... up in the air:

I'm not thinking it's Anna and Kristoff's kids, although anything is possible. There may be a reason for the close resemblance, though. At first glimpse, I thought maybe that girl was Princess Anna in new clothes. But no, that's someone else. Also, the boy flying up into the air -- at first I thought it was Kristoff, but no. This person is smaller.

Could it be a flashback to Anna and Elsa's parents? Maybe their mom had a wind/autumn power, the way Elsa has a frozen power? It feels like Frozen 2 has some unfinished business with the parents' story.

We do know at least two new characters are coming, and Kristen Bell (Anna) previously told CinemaBlend we'll be big fans:

Evan Rachel Wood (Westworld) and Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us) were cast to voice two new characters. Not saying those two characters were shown in this first trailer, but the stars will be playing new characters in Frozen 2, so expect to see and hear more about them. It wouldn't be surprising to meet other new characters as well.

That little autumn scene may fit with the theory about Frozen 2's snowflake poster representing the four seasons, with three other people having powers like Elsa's power of ice. She would basically represent winter -- with summer, spring, and fall represented by others.

Could this new character here be the autumn version of Elsa? It's too soon to say, since we're all still in speculation mode until Disney fills us in.

Some fans are already wondering if this new girl could be a love interest for Elsa, although it would be strange for her to date someone who looks so similar to her sister, no? There's been no confirmation on the Elsa girlfriend front, so we'll have to stay tuned to see what Disney decides to do.

Frozen 2 has yet to release an official synopsis, and the first teaser trailer was heavy on the tease. We don't even hear any characters' voices, we just hear the intense music and watch some darker-than-expected visuals. The whole thing ends with Anna drawing Kristoff's sword and slicing at something. It's getting real out there!

Clearly, Frozen 2 will be sending Elsa (Idina Menzel), Anna (Kristen Bell), Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), Olaf (Josh Gad), and Sven on a grand adventure, taking them into new lands, and possibly through other seasons. For now, here's everything we know so far about Frozen 2. Stay tuned for more details as the November 22 release date draws closer. And bookmark our handy 2019 movie schedule to keep your film dance card full.

To say that Frozen has been one of Disney's biggest hits in recent years would be an understatement. Met with numerous positive reviews and hauling in over $1.2 billion worldwide, the movie had a major cultural impact that's still being felt five years after its release. With such a reputation, it's no wonder that Disney officially announced a sequel in 2015. Since it was confirmed that Frozen 2 is on the way, we've gotten a few updates here and there, but today brings arguably the biggest news yet, as it's being reported that Westworld star Evan Rachel Wood and Black Panther actor Sterling K. Brown are being eyed to join the cast.

Evan Rachel Wood and Sterling K. Brown are currently in talks for Frozen 2, though Variety's report didn't provide any information about the characters they would be playing. Nevertheless, if their deals are finalized, Wood and Brown would be the first new actors to join the sequel. Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell and Josh Gad are already on board to reprise Elsa, Anna and Olaf, respectively, in Frozen 2. Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck are also both back to direct, with Lee writing the script.

Evan Rachel Wood's movie credits include Digging to China, Thirteen, Pretty Persuasion and Across the Universe, but she's arguably best known for her work on TV shows like Once and Again, True Blood and, currently, Westworld, where she plays Dolores Abernathy. As for Sterling K. Brown, after appearing in TV shows like Supernatural, Army Wives and Person of Interest, he drew acclaim for his performance as Christopher Darden in The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story. Since then, he's starred as Randall Pearson on NBC's This is Us, and he appeared in both Black Panther and Hotel Artemis earlier this year, with The Predator to follow this September.

No plot details for Frozen 2 have been revealed yet, but Kristen Bell said back in April that she'd already recorded most of her dialogue. While six years will have passed since Frozen by the time Frozen 2 comes out, there certainly hasn't been any lack of Frozen material during that interim period. Two short films, Frozen Fever and Olaf Frozen Adventure, were released in 2015 and 2017, respectively, and a Broadway musical adaptation of the original movie premiered in March. There's also a Frozen comic book series that Dark Horse is publishing starting next month. Let's also not forget all the attention that Frozen gets at the Disney Parks.

Frozen 2 will work its magic in theaters on November 27, 2019, so keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more updates on its development. For now, you can find out what movies are arriving a little sooner by scanning through our 2018 release schedule.

For Westworld Season 2, creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy decided to use a detective noir format to lay out the aftermath of the Season 1 finale bloodbath, which meant the second batch of episodes was heavily steeped in timeline switcheroos, memory-based mysteries and unexpected character dualities. At the center of it all was the ever-evolving Dolores, but that doesn't mean star Evan Rachel Wood was in full understanding of everything that was happening in the twisting and turning narrative. In her words:

That's as hilarious a sentiment as it is a disturbing one. It's amusing to think about all of Dolores' heavily complex and emotionally driven sequences in Season 2, and to then picture Evan Rachel Wood walking way from each of those scenes wide-eyed and shrugging, without much of a clue as to how those moments would connect to any or all of the others. The joys of being an actor, right?

It almost feels counter-intuitive for the stars of a major TV drama -- one that got nominated for a whopping 21 Emmy Awards, no less -- to be entirely out of the loop (no pun intended) for the main storyline. Keeping the plot points a secret is one thing, but keeping principal cast members in the dark about their own characters seems like the backwards route to take. But regardless of how much or how little she knew was going on, Evan Rachel Wood still put forth one of the most chilling TV performances of the year so far, and the actress' general cluelessness offers an interesting balance with the endless calculations happening inside Dolores' mind(orb).

When speaking with Vulture, Evan Rachel Wood was asked how much she and co-star Tessa Thompson rehearsed Dolores together, and Wood's answer shined another light on how little the actors were told as the season went on.

Considering the Dolores-as-Hale twist probably wasn't bandied about around the Westworld offices, Tessa Thompson and Evan Rachel Wood had to get together on the side to figure out the best way to make the dual-character performance work. And then who knows what kind of context they were given outside of that. Did the stars even know those late scenes were in Arnold's real-world house? Did Wood and Thompson know they were actually acting opposite a working android prototype of actor Jeffrey Wright? (That's not real. Or is it?)

Even if both Evan Rachel Wood and Ed Harris, and most likely everyone else, were kept in the dark for most of the production of Westworld Season 2, it definitely didn't hamper anyone's performances, with much of the confusion playing perfectly into the characters' arcs. And now, everyone gets to be completely mystified by potential Season 3 plotlines until that season ends up premiering in another 2 years or so.

For now, dive back into the chaos by rewatching Season 2 on HBO Go or HBO Now, and head to our non-confusing summer premiere schedule to see what new and returning shows will be showing up soon .

Two stars of HBO's Westworld are putting their totally human vocal chords to good use for a new episode of Apple's Carpool Karaoke: The Series. In a preview below, you can watch Evan Rachel Wood and James Marsden riding around and belting out Alanis Morissette's "Ironic," Salt-N-Pepa's "Shoop," and several more before they end up on a train. Yes, a train! See it unfold for yourself in the video below:

It must be said. Evan Rachel Wood absolutely goes for it in this clip, just as she does in her film and TV roles, and the Westworld co-stars seem to be having a great time together. It should be a lot of fun for fans of the overtly serious HBO series to see Wood and her on-screen beau James Marsden share the screen in a far more carefree capacity, albeit with less splendor. They chose good songs, too! Does it get any more freeing than joining a co-star for a rousing rendition of Peter Cetera and Cher's late-'80's power ballad "After All?"

Evan Rachel Wood and James Marsden can both sing really well, too! Something some Westworld fans may or may not have been particularly aware of until watching this clip, considering that drama's hosts aren't programmed to perform in such ways. As if the songs they chose were not good enough, the preview ends with the Grease classic "Summer Nights," which is another pretty definitive karaoke duet track. All in all, the songs are strong choices that transport listeners from the 90's to the late 80's before ending in the late 70's. That is a well-rounded playlist that mirrors Westworld's jumping through decades. And it's even better when they switch up the lyrics to reference Delos Inc.

If you are wondering why James Corden is not along for the ride, there is a simple explanation. This is Carpool Karaoke: The Series, not the popular segment from The Late Late Show with James Corden. The quasi-spinoff's premise is basically the same as the segment's with two stars sitting in the car as they sing their lungs out to favorites. In this case, Westworld's Evan Rachel Wood and James Marsden are taking the wheel, and then the train.

Westworld fans will not have to wait too much longer to find out if the duo sings any other songs besides the ones teased. Will this Westworld-themed episode of Carpool Karaoke lift the spirits of fans following the latest tragedy-filled installment of the HBO series? Evan Rachel Wood seems to think so, per a tweet on her Twitter account. It sounds like a safe bet. So enjoy this dose of the Westworld cast minus the elaborate theories necessary to figure out what's happening at their day job.

You can watch Westworld stars Evan Rachel Wood, and James Marsden sing their way through an episode of Carpool Karaoke: The Series, when it premieres exclusively on the Apple TV app on Friday, June 22. New episodes of Westworld air Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO. For new upcoming and returning television shows you can watch on HBO and elsewhere, check out CinemaBlend's guide to TV's summer premieres.

Just because a comedy is received well critically and commercially during its initial release doesn't necessarily mean it will remain popular as the years pass. Mean Girls, though, needn't worry about that, because 14 years after the Lindsay Lohan-led teen comedy dropped in theaters, it continues to be quoted and remembered fondly by many, to the point that it even has its own day. That said, had things gone differently, we could have seen Westworld star Evan Rachel Wood as one of the Mean Girls leads, and the only reason she turned down the movie was because it was too similar to another project she had lined up. When asked if it was true that she auditioned for Mean Girls, Wood responded:

Evan Rachel Wood set the record straight during her appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and in hindsight, I would imagine that she's wishes she would have taken the Mean Girls role. While Mean Girls opened wide to the public in 2004, earned many positive reviews and made $129 million off a $17 million budget, Pretty Persuasion, which came out in 2005, opened in select theaters was was met with mostly negative reception. I can understand Wood at the time not wanting to star in two high school-set movies at the time, since there's no way should could have predicted that Mean Girls would be so successful. Alas, things didn't work out that way, but Wood is still interested in working with Tina Fey, who wrote the screenplay, which was based off the book Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman. Provided that Fey's next project isn't about a "robot uprising," Wood is all in on a collaboration.

While she didn't end up appearing in Mean Girls, Evan Rachel Wood has still built a solid acting resume. In the years after Mean Girls and Pretty Persuasion, she appeared in projects like Running with Scissors, Across the Universe, The Wrestler and True Blood. She can currently be seen playing Dolores Abernathy in HBO's Westworld. As for the Mean Girls, while a direct sequel starring Lindsay Logan, Rachel McAdams and the rest of the main cast never happened, Mean Girls 2 was released on ABC Family in 2011, and it starred an all-new cast with the exception of Tim Meadows, who reprised Principal Ron Duvall. A Mean Girls musical also just opened on Broadway, and a couple years back, a spinoff titled Mean Moms entered development, but as of late 2015, it's been stalled.

Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for all the latest movies updates, Mean Girls-related and otherwise. To find out what's hitting the big screen later this year, look through our 2018 release schedule.

HBO has a been week coming up. After two years of waiting, its acclaimed sci-fi series Westworld will finally return for a second season. The series became an instant hit when it arrived in 2016, and fans have been eagerly waiting to see the next adventure, and resolve the explosive cliffhanger finale. While much of the conversation around Westworld is related to the twists and turns happening onscreen, there are some exciting moments happening behind the scenes. Namely, that Evan Rachel Wood is being paid equally to her male co-stars. Equal pay has been a hot button issue in the business, and Wood recently opened up about what the experience has been like on the show, saying:

It looks like being paid the same as her male co-stars isn't something that happens easily in Evan Rachel Wood's career, and it has affected which projects she's taken on. But considering how much of the story rests on Wood's character Dolores, she certainly has earned the right to the same amount of money as male actors.

Aside from being arguably Westworld's biggest character, Evan Rachel Wood has also done a fair amount of work for HBO in the past. She guest starred across multiple seasons as Queen Sophie-Anne in True Blood, and starred opposite Kate Winslet in the miniseries Mildred Pierce. With Dolores being one of the only characters present across all of the show's many timelines, it makes sense that Wood should get a pay bump this time around.

In her same conversation about pay with The Wrap, Evan Rachel Wood spoke to how her pay had previously plateaued, and how often women are not paid as well simply due to their sex.

The conversation around equal pay has been a hot button issue in the entertainment world. More and more actresses have come out to speak about the difference in pay from male co-stars, with stars like Ellen Pompeo and Emmy Rossum negotiating new contracts for their work on Grey's Anatomy and Shameless respectively.

Westworld returns to HBO on April 22nd, 2018. In the meantime, check out our midseason premiere list to plan your next binge watch. Plus our Amazon premiere list and superhero premiere list to ensure you don't miss a single episode.

One of the most groundbreaking and thought-provoking TV series of 2016 was HBO's sci-fi drama Westworld, which was a maze wrapped inside of an enigma protocol wrapped inside of a colonial robot. When Season 1 ended, the biggest mystery then became "When is Season 2 coming, and why isn't it right now?" Any details about Season 2's release window have all been kept over the horizon, with no one able to say anything resembling specific until everything was closer to completion. But now, Westworld star Evan Rachel Wood has revealed Season 2 will premiere in Spring 2018.

No, it's not an exact release date, but Spring 2018 is at least closer to a final truth than we've had before. We know it's coming earlier in the year now, which is an interesting choice, since its dark and gloomy atmosphere go well with crisp fall evenings. The proper weather pairing is a slightly less important factor to TV viewers, though, and so getting it in the spring works just fine. Like right at the end of March, though. None of that "waiting until June 17" business.

There is, of course, a good reason why Westworld Season 2 didn't just pop up a year after its first season showed up. Similarly to how the first season also took a long time to come together, creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy and the rest of the creative team took their time with planning the story, knowing how savvy audiences were to how things played out in Season 1, and the point is to make the best set of world-expanding episodes possible, and not just "the best set of episodes possible before that pre-determined release date." But now it seems like there is at least a finish line in sight, just still possibly quite a ways away. (The recent production delays aren't likely factoring into any overall delays.)

Let's all appreciate Evan Rachel Wood for offering up Westworld info the only way anyone can do it: with limited words and an open ending.

Coupled with Game of Thrones' roving schedule in its final two seasons, the nontraditional delay between Westworld Season 1 and the eventual Season 2 has made the anticipation of HBO's prestige programming palpable, which is still a nice feeling to get in this age of TV over-saturation. (This glorious, glorious age.) And we'll have months to keep that anticipation going, too. Here's hoping another drool-worthy trailer is on the way in the nearer future.

Westworld Season 2 is finally coming to HBO in Spring 2018, so set your watches that will one day grow up to be saloon-bots. (Technology!) And Season 1 just hit Blu-ray and DVD on Tuesday, November 7, and picking that one up will give fans some brand new extras and more to watch. Head to our fall TV premiere schedule to see all the other new and returning shows coming before 2018.

Some television trends, like dating competition shows, will never work for me, but I’m firmly behind any and all movie stars that want to make the trip to the small screen. It should surprise no one that HBO has lured big names such as Oscar-winner Anthony Hopkins and the Emmy-nominated Evan Rachel Wood to its pilot re-imagining of Michael Crichton’s 1973 classic Westworld.

It should be noted that the pilot order itself is news, as HBO had previously only granted a pilot production commitment last year. This project comes not only from executive producer J.J. Abrams and Bad Robot, but from screenwriter Jonathan Nolan, who worked with his brother Christopher on such lauded films as The Prestige and The Dark Knight. He wrote this Westworld update with his wife Lisa Joy, who will also executive produce. The project can also tout producer Jerry Weintraub (Ocean’s Eleven, The Karate Kid) as part of its executive squad.

With such talent (and big wallets) behind the camera, it’s encouraging that we’ll get thesps like Hopkins and Wood onscreen. According to THR, the pilot’s logline reads as “a dark odyssey about the dawn of artificial consciousness and the future of sin.” Robotic tiger rawr!

Hopkins will take on his first recurring non-miniseries TV role ever as Dr. Robert Ford, the genius madman who conceived, created and programmed everything in Westworld, an amusement park meant to appease humanity’s robot-whipping-and-sexing whimsies. He’s not someone you’d want watching your kids, but you might want to bring their broken toys to him. Wood, meanwhile, is one of the series’ leads, and she’ll play a western farm girl (robot) named Delores Abernathy who is completely unaware that her life is a digitized lie. Of course, that blissful ignorance won’t last long, as she will soon discover the truth behind her existence.

FilmDivider reported the other day that the network had set out its casting net, and James Marsden’s name was also in that mix as someone approahced for the male lead. Assuming their intel is legit, the male bot will be a quintessential adventure hero, whose love for Delores is never attained, as he is programmed to get killed daily by the park’s guests, allowing them to take control of her.

Not that the Westworld film was a beacon of sunshine, but you just know HBO is going to turn this story into the darkest allegory known to man and machine. With hits like The Leftovers and Game of Thrones serving as exercises in doom and gloom, a story about helpless robots performing endless sins isn't exactly a walk in the park.

Nolan is also set to direct the pilot, which will presumably go into production later this year.

Sienna Miller and Brendan Fraser are the latest actors to sign on to the Justin Long-penned romantic comedy A Case of You, joining a cast that includes Long himself, his co-writer Keir O'Donnell, Evan Rachel Wood, Peter Dinklage and Busy Philipps. The movie centers on a young writer who looks for love online, and uses his "gift for fiction"--as David Mamet would say--to enhance his dating site profile. Of course, when it comes time to meet the girl he's managed to impress with lies, he must personify his false online profile in his real life. Trouble ensues.

Variety, which has revealed this latest casting update, makes no mention of what roles Miller and Fraser are slated to play, but since Long and Wood were the first cast members to be announced, it's likely they'll play the love-struck leads and Fraser and Miller will have to fit into the cast elsewhere. A Case of You is currently shooting in New York, which means Miller, who recently revealed her baby bump at fashion week, will likely be playing a pregnant woman. But beyond that, the parts they'll play remain a mystery.

As an actor, Long has had a varied career, bouncing from studio rom-coms like He's Just Not That Into You to genre offerings like Drag Me to Hell to kid flicks like Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, yet he hasn't garnered much notice of late. Perhaps this is why he's decided to try his hand at writing and producing with A Case of You, as a way to better direct his career. His younger brother Christian, who contributed to the script, will produce alongside Long. Kat Coiro (L!fe Happens) is helming the feature which is due out next year.

Even with all the talk out there about Transformers 4, and nothing set in stone yet, it still seems pretty obvious that Shia LaBeouf won't be returning to the franchise. His three-picture contract was signed when he was a barely known teenager, but the franchise presented all kinds of options to him, from the not-so-good (franchise-ruiner Mutt Williams in Indiana Jones 4) to the very promising (this year's The Wettest County). LaBeouf seems to have grown up and put his eye on more challenging projects, including his next one, the "gritty pulp romance" The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman.

LaBeouf waffled on taking that role for a while, but he's set now, and Variety reports two more actors have signed on to fill the major roles. Evan Rachel Wood will be playing his love interest, a girl he meets after her father dies while sitting next to Charlie on a plane. Mads Mikkelsen, the Danish actor you might recognize as the baddie from Casino Royale, plays her violent and estranged husband, who obviously is pretty invested in preventing their romance from happening. Swedish commercials director Fredrik Bond will be making his feature directing debut with the project, and the script is written by Matt Drake, who's also credited with the upcoming party comedy Project X. That's a lot of interesting backgrounds to go into this kind of thriller, but maybe that's what will make it good.

Charlie Countryman is set to start filming in Eastern Europe this May, which could potentially mean we'll see it before the end of the year, but more likely early next year. Are you excited to see Shia LaBeouf go a little darker and more grown-up now that he's ditched Bumblebee for good? Wettest County, which is scheduled to come out in August, might give us more evidence of his talents to get us excited for this one.

By this point, it’s probably fair to say that Justin Long is better known for the film’s he’s appeared in, than for playing the “Mac” in the “Get a Mac” Apple ad campaign. As great (and memorable) as those ads were, Long has appeared in enough films before and since then to show his true potential as an actor. He’s also done some TV work, including voice-work in FX’s new animated comedy Unsupervised, as well as a charming recurring guest appearance Fox’s New Girl. It looks like we’ll be getting to see his potential as a writer (and a producer) with the upcoming indie film A Case of You.

The news about the project, which comes from Variety, includes some great casting updates. Joining Long, who is also set to star, is Evan Rachel Wood and Peter Dinklage. Directed by Kat Coiro, the story follows a writer who embellishes his online profile in an attempt to impress a girl, which results in her falling in love with him. He ends up in a mess as he has to try to “keep up the act.” Variety doesn’t mention whether this is a comedy or a drama (maybe a little of both?), nor do they specify what roles the actors will be playing, but Long as the writer and Wood as the girl he fibs to sounds like it could fit.

Cougar Town‘s Busy Phillips, who co-starred in He’s Just Not That Into You with Long, is set to co-star. Keir O’Donnell will also co-star, in addition to contributing to the writing, along with Long’s brother Christian.

The whole cast sounds great, but as a Game of Thrones fan, it’s especially exciting to hear of Dinklage’s involvement in the film. With the series headed into its second season, and Dinklage coming off well-deserved Emmy and Golden Globe wins, it’s no surprise to see his name popping up in other projects. In addition to A Case of You, he’s also set to star alongside fellow HBO TV star Ryan Kwanten in the Joe Lynch directed Knights of Badassdom, as well as Sacha Gervasi’s My Dinner with Herve. He’s also lending his distinctly deep voice to the fourth Ice age film, Continental Drift.

James M. Cain’s 1941 novel, set in the Depression and the events thereafter, is a hardboiled melodrama about a woman who comes into her own but struggles with the prospect. In 1945, Michael Curtiz turned Cain’s novel into a film noir mystery about a mother who devotes her life to a daughter who turns out to be a rotten egg. Why would Todd Haynes bother to return to the story, keep most of the author’s ruminations, and forget the added mystery? It seems he felt he could squeeze a little life out of Mildred Pierce’s characters and settings. In that way, Haynes largely succeeds.

Mildred Pierce employs an ensemble cast featuring the likes of Guy Pearce, with a thin mustache to match his rail-thin physique; Evan Rachel Wood, whom we get to see naked; Melissa Leo as a wise cracker; Mare Winningham as a wise worker; and an exhausted and exhausting Kate Winslet, who lands on the ballot as our own Mildred Pierce.

Let’s talk for a moment about Mildred. At the beginning of Part 1 of the five-part miniseries, Mildred is a housewife with a knack for baking. She lives in California in a modest, middle class home with her husband and her two young girls, Veda and Ray (Morgan Turner and Quinn McColgan). Mildred’s husband (Brian F. O’Byrne) seems a nice enough sort, for the most part honest and hardworking -- but oh, he’s cheating on his wife.

It’s 1933, and the job opportunities for an unskilled housewife are slim to none, but you have to give it to good ‘ol Mildred here, who swallows her pride, kicks out her husband, and gives it a go as a working woman in the "unsavory" profession of waitressing. Mildred struggles, but for the first two portions of Haynes’ miniseries Mildred’s struggle is one of overcoming obstacles and finding success with a restaurant business of her own, through willpower, guile, and a little networking between the sheets. To her credit, Winslet makes this unglamorous and difficult work captivating, making us believe Mildred can do anything -- even if we know by the rules of melodrama things are bound to go south.

The last three parts of Haynes’ miniseries chronicle the downfall of Mildred Pierce. For the most part, Mildred’s faltering is due to her own poor decision making. Mildred uses men and is used by them, and her daughter, Veda, is a snake, yet she is stubbornly unaware not only of her treatment of others but also their treatment of her.

That brings us to Veda Pierce, first played by Morgan Turner as a bratty, class-obsessed vixen of a girl who plays at being grown up as often as she speaks with a falsified accent. Later, Veda is an anathema, portrayed by Evan Rachel Wood, a young, sexual thing who thinks nothing of anyone but relies on others to usher her ever closer to a popular success. Despite multiple warnings about her daughter, Mildred does not see these faults in her Veda until the very end. The last three parts are painful to watch, with Mildred again compounding bad decisions into worse ones until she has lost the life she built.

This may be the curse of the mother who will give up all for an ungrateful child, but it also means, in its final act, Mildred Pierce is as obsessed with the incorrigible Veda as it is with Mildred’s downfall. This makes for an awfully slow storyline later, when some build-up of Veda’s character is still needed to create push-and- pull momentum between her and her mother. Don’t worry, though, if the length is too much, HBO, thankfully, has built in a written recap at the beginning of each segment to remind us of what came before.

As noted before, Haynes spends a lot of time with the details. Academy Award-winning designer Ann Roth was hired to work Winslet through sixty-six wardrobe changes during the series. The costumes and settings are magical windows into the Depression era, but it is almost more impressive to see parts of New York turned into southern California, a change that is well addressed in the disc’s "Making of" featurette. What this segment doesn’t focus on is the somber, silky soundtrack accompanying many scenes, with a gratifying clarinet that is able to distance us from the utter compelling fight for lifestyle Mildred Pierce relishes in.

Mildred Pierce is all about sad moments and triumphant moments, but very few happy ones. It provides us a window to peek into a certain worldview, but often that window does not show us anything much.

Length: 300 min.

Rated: Not rated

Distributor: HBO Home Video

Release Date: 1/03/12

Starring: Kate Winslet, Guy Pearce, Evan Rachel Wood

Directed by: Todd Haynes

Produced by: Todd Haynes, Pamela Koffler, Christine Vachon, John Wells

Written by: Todd Haynes, Jon Raymond

Visit the Mildred Pierce Official Website

Anne Hathaway has already snagged one of the big female roles in Tom Hooper's splashy upcoming adaptation of Les Miserables, the huge Broadway musical based on Victor Hugo's novel. Hathaway is set to play Fantine, the doomed factory worker, opposite Hugh Jackman as the hero Jean Valjean, Russell Crowe as the determined Inspector Javert, and My Week With Marilyn's Eddie Redmayne as Marius, a young man fighting in the French Revolution.

Marius, like any good musical character, is also caught in a love triangle between Fantine's daughter Cosette and Eponine, another splashy role that's currently being cast. According to The New York Post, Taylor Swift, Lea Michele, Scarlett Johansson and Evan Rachel Wood are all in the running for the role, and with the film set for a December 7 release date next year, casting is likely to move fast so shooting can get started. Michele has the strongest Broadway chops of the bunch, having played Young Cosette herself as a child and belting out every musical ballad known to man week after week on Glee. But according to the Post, Swift brings her country music fan base, Wood her indie cred, and Johansson acting ability so… apparently the choice isn't as easy as it seems?

Les Miserables is such a massive story that it's impossible for one casting decision to make the film great or ruin it, so I'm trying not to get too worked up over the idea of Taylor Swift and her frilly-weak singing voice in any musical, period. With Hugh Jackman in the lead it can't be all bad, but… seriously, Taylor Swift? Just cast Lea Michele, fill out the rest of the cast with actual Broadway actors, and let this Les Miz hold its head high.