DRAMA SERIES "WESTWORLD" DEBUTS OCT. 2 ON HBO

Created For Television By Jonathan Nolan And Lisa Joy; Executive Produced, Written And Directed By Jonathan Nolan; Executive Produced And Written By Lisa Joy; Executive Produced By J.J. Abrams, Jerry Weintraub, Bryan Burk; Inspired By The Motion Picture "Westworld," Written And Directed By Michael Crichton

Anthony Hopkins, Ed Harris, Evan Rachel Wood, James Marsden, Thandie Newton, Jeffrey Wright, Tessa Thompson, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Jimmi Simpson, Rodrigo Santoro, Shannon Woodward, Ingrid Bolsø Berdal, Ben Barnes, Simon Quarterman, Angela Sarafyan, Luke Hemsworth And Clifton Collins, Jr. Star

The one-hour drama series WESTWORLD kicks off its ten-episode season SUNDAY, OCT. 2 at 9:00 p.m. (ET/PT), exclusively on HBO. Created for television by Jonathan Nolan ("Interstellar," "The Dark Knight," "Person of Interest") and Lisa Joy ("Pushing Daisies," "Burn Notice"), both of whom are executive producing and writing, with Nolan also directing, the series was inspired by the 1973 motion picture "Westworld," written and directed by Michael Crichton.

WESTWORLD is a dark odyssey about the dawn of artificial consciousness and the evolution of sin, exploring a world in which every human appetite, no matter how noble or depraved, can be indulged.

Co-creator Nolan explains, "Building on the incredibly evocative concept of the original film, we wanted to pose the question: If you could be completely immersed in a fantasy, one in which you could do whatever you wanted, would you discover things about yourself that you didn't want to know?"

Co-creator Joy adds, "We also wanted to explore what it means to be human from the outside in - through the eyes of the 'hosts': the lifelike AI characters that are the main attractions of the park. It's a meditation on consciousness - the blessing and the burden of it - beautifully portrayed by our remarkable cast."

WESTWORLD stars Anthony Hopkins (Academy Award(R) winner for "The Silence of the Lambs"; Academy Award(R) nominee for "Remains of the Day," "Nixon," "Amistad"), Ed Harris (Golden Globe winner and Emmy(R) nominee for HBO's "Game Change"; Academy Award(R) nominee for "Pollock," "Apollo 13"), Evan Rachel Wood (Golden Globe nominee for "Thirteen"; Emmy(R) and Golden Globe nominee for HBO's "Mildred Pierce"), James Marsden (the "X-Men" films), Thandie Newton ("Mission: Impossible II") and Jeffrey Wright (HBO's "Confirmation"; Emmy(R) and Golden Globe winner for HBO's "Angels in America").

The series also stars Tessa Thompson ("Creed"), Sidse Babett Knudsen ("Borgen"), Jimmi Simpson (HBO's "The Newsroom"), Rodrigo Santoro ("Focus," "The 33"), Shannon Woodward ("Raising Hope"), Ingrid Bolsø Berdal ("Chernobyl Diaries"), Ben Barnes ("The Chronicles of Narnia" films), Simon Quarterman ("The Devil Inside"), Angela Sarafyan ("The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn"), Luke Hemsworth ("Infini") and Clifton Collins, Jr. ("Star Trek").

Among WESTWORLD's main players are: Dr. Robert Ford (Anthony Hopkins), the brilliant, taciturn and complicated creative director, chief programmer and founder of Westworld, who has an uncompromising creative vision for the park. The Man in Black (Ed Harris) is the distillation of pure villainy into one man. Dolores Abernathy (Evan Rachel Wood) is a provincial, beautiful and kind rancher's daughter, who begins to discover that her entire idyllic existence is an elaborately constructed lie.

Teddy Flood (James Marsden), a new arrival to a small frontier town, quickly proves both his charm and talent with a revolver. Beautiful, razor-sharp madam Maeve Millay (Thandie Newton) has a genius for reading people and a knack for survival, but her seen-it-all-before worldview is about to be challenged. Bernard Lowe (Jeffrey Wright) is the brilliant and quixotic head of the park's Programming Division, whose keen observation of human nature provides him with boundless inspiration for his life's work: creating artificial people.

Charlotte Hale (Tessa Thompson) is a mysterious and savvy provocateur with a unique perspective on Westworld. Theresa Cullen (Sidse Babett Knudsen), Westworld's head of Quality Assurance, is responsible for keeping the park from sliding into unscripted chaos. A first-time visitor, William (Jimmi Simpson) is initially wary of the park's more lascivious attractions, but slowly uncovers a deeper meaning.

Hector Escaton (Rodrigo Santoro), Westworld's perennial "most wanted" bandit, subscribes to the theory that the West is a wild place, and the only way to survive is to embrace the role of predator. Elsie Hughes (Shannon Woodward), a sardonic rising star in the Behavior Department, is charged with diagnosing the odd quirks of behavior in the park's hosts. Armistice (Ingrid Bolsø Berdal) is a savage fighter and brutal bandit, whose ruthlessness is surpassed only by her abiding loyalty to her fellow outlaws.

Logan (Ben Barnes) is a veteran guest whose hedonistic romp through the park is equally motivated by self-indulgence and a desire to help his friend, William. Lee Sizemore (Simon Quarterman) is the head of Narrative, whose storylines tantalize the guests, while his temperament grates on his colleagues. Clementine Pennyfeather (Angela Sarafyan), one of Westworld's most popular attractions, is perfectly beguiling, by design.

Stubbs (Luke Hemsworth) is the no-nonsense head of Security, charged with monitoring host and human interactions and ensuring the safety of the guests. Lawrence (Clifton Collins, Jr.), a charming but lethal outlaw, has a knack for maneuvering and negotiating the various criminal elements of Westworld.

WESTWORLD was inspired by the motion picture "Westworld," written and directed by Michael Crichton. Production companies, Kilter Films, Bad Robot Productions, and Jerry Weintraub Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television. Executive producer/writer/director, Jonathan Nolan; executive producer/writer, Lisa Joy; executive producers, J.J. Abrams, Jerry Weintraub, Bryan Burk.