Westworld season 2 casts five mysterious new recurring characters
Even with new information, the mystery deepens
While we may not be getting the entire series spoiled for us after all, we do have some new clues as to what we can expect from Westworld’s upcoming second season.
You see, HBO has announced five new recurring cast members for the cowboy/sci-fi drama, and we’re all abuzz trying to figure out who (or what) they could be playing. To begin with, they’ve added Batman vs Superman’s Tao Okamato as a character called Hanaryo and Kiki Sukezane (Netflix’s Lost in Space remake) as Sakura, with Twilight’s Julia Jones also joining the series as Kohana.
It’s likely that the first two actors will be set to play a part in Westworld’s recently-confirmed Shogun World, another park parallel to the main Westworld area where guests enjoy the trappings of feudal Japan (roughly based on the real-life Edo period). They could be guests, but it seems more likely they’ll be new hosts who may or may not be involved in the awakening kicked off at the end of the last series.
- Westworld creators offer to spoil series two, spectacularly troll fans
- Everything you need to remember about Westworld ahead of season two
- Westworld season two’s unofficial title could be a major clue
Native American actor Jones, meanwhile, seems likely to be joining the main Westworld park as one of the robotic Ghost Nation warriors only briefly glimpsed in the first series (or another Native American tribe), where she’ll be joined by guest season one actor Martin Sensmeier (who has been promoted to a recurring role after playing a Native American character briefly in the first run).
And finishing off the quintet is Zahn McClarnon, who is playing quite a mysterious role. He can be seen wearing a smart suit at a cocktail party during one of series’ trailers (specifically, one that was hidden inside another trailer, because this is Westworld), but many fans are also pretty sure he can be seen in full Native American gear on horseback during one of the later teasers.
This might suggest he’s a host who can move between his narrative and the real world (perhaps joining Dolores, who the trailers have shown in similar cocktail attire), and may play a significant part in the newly-awakened hosts’ rebellion.
Still, it’s hard to predict exactly what will happen in the truly twisted world of Westworld, so take all of this with a pinch of salt. We’d hate to get fooled again…
Westworld returns to NOWTV and Sky Atlantic in the UK on Monday 23rd April
Authors
Huw Fullerton is a Commissioning Editor for Radio Times magazine, covering Entertainment, Comedy and Specialist Drama.