Jonathon Nolan and Lisa Joy talk Westworld with Wired

Jonathon Nolan and Lisa Joy on android morality

Westworld is the most epic and fully realized show since HBO brought Game of Thrones to life. It’s basically Game of Thrones for the sci-fi crowd, which is exactly what science fiction fans needed to revitalize the drama on television. Jonathon Nolan and Lisa Joy took time off to tool the series to fit into at least five seasons, and now they’re ready to talk about it.

In an interview with Wired, Nolan and Joy dish on what it was like to remake Westworld for a modern audience. The original was so filled with ideas — a problem that originally stymied J.J. Abrams — that it could only be done now, and as a series. Talking about accuracy may seem odd for a show about androids, but it’s something that, according to Nolan, they took as seriously as they could:

"“We went on deep background with sources, talking about the state of AI and where it’s going. In Silicon Valley, a lot of people aren’t willing to go on the record, because it’s an arms-race environment. We modeled so many aspects of the show on their intense secrecy.”"

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There’s something both exciting an unnerving about that. Westworld may end up showing us pieces, perhaps small, of a reality that may once day exist. When it comes to the sex and violence on the series, some of which can be seen in the trailers, Joy was upfront about what the show is trying to do:

"The way we portray violence of any sort, including sexual acts, is something that we spend a lot of time talking about. With every scene, we ask ourselves: Is it integral to the story?"

Not everyone is going to buy that, but we’ll see. Thandie Newton said that even though it was empowering, she spent much of her shoot time naked.

Next: High Maintenance creators on Seth Meyers tonight.

The entire interview is worth a read, and it’s always nice to get another look at Westworld. Anticipation is now through the roof. If you’re interested in what Jonathon Nolan argued with his brother about during Memento and what type of Grand Theft Auto player he is, head on over to Wired.