Westworld season 4: Release date, cast, trailer, plot, latest news
Everything we know so far about the fourth season of the hit sci-fi show, including plot, cast and when it might air.
Westworld season 4 is shaping up to be one of its biggest yet, after the sci-fi sensation ditched the parks in season 3 for a futuristic thriller set in the real world.
It's been two long years since we last saw this world, but season 4 is now just around the corner, and it's set to pick up right where we left off, continuing to deliver plenty of thrilling action alongside the complex narrative which makes you question everything you think you know.
Thandiwe Newton, Jeffrey Wright, Aaron Paul and more are back for the new episodes, as is Evan Rachel Wood despite Dolores' apparent demise at the end of season 3. She'll be playing new character Christina, but just who is she?
Meanwhile, after that cliffhanger with The Man in Black, just what will William be up to this season?
Read on for everything we know about Westworld season 4.
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Has Westworld been renewed for a season 4?
Yes - which is hardly a surprise given that it's one of HBO's biggest ongoing shows!
The series was officially recommissioned by HBO for a fourth run in April 2020, with Sky also confirming that it would continue to broadcast the show in the UK.
At the time of renewal, HBO's president of programming Casey Bloys said, "From the Western theme park to the technocratic metropolis of the near future, we’ve thoroughly enjoyed every twist and turn from the minds of master storytellers Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy. We can’t wait to see where their inspired vision takes us next."
Westworld season 4 release date
Westworld season 4 will premiere in the UK on Sky Atlantic and NOW on 27th June 2022.
The episode will be released on HBO Max in the US on 26th June.
Production officially started in summer 2021, with Maeve star Thandiwe Newton finishing her first week of filming in June.
Jeffrey Wright later confirmed that filming had finished for the fourth season in December 2021.
Westworld season 4 cast
The following stars will be returning for the Westworld season 4 cast.
- Evan Rachel Wood as Christina
- Thandiwe Newton as Maeve Millay
- Jeffrey Wright as Bernard Lowe
- Tessa Thompson as Charlotte Hale
- Aaron Paul as Caleb Nichols
- James Marsden as Teddy Ford
- Luke Hemsworth as Ashley Stubbs
- Angela Sarafyan as Clementine Pennyfeather
- Ed Harris as William and The Man in Black
Most of the cast members who portrayed surviving characters are confirmed to return.
Alongside the returnees from the third season, James Marsden is back for the fourth season - after having been absent since the end of the second season when he portrayed host Teddy Flood.
Teddy took his own life in the second season after growing disillusioned with his beloved Dolores, prompting Dolores to later upload Teddy's consciousness into the virtual paradise known as The Sublime.
So, what brings Teddy back to the real world?
Additionally, despite the death of the original iteration of Dolores Abernathy, Evan Rachel Wood will return for the fourth season in a role now confirmed as being named Christina.
According to NME, showrunner Lisa Joy revealed details about the character at ATX TV Festival.
Joy revealed that Christina is “a normal woman living in a big city, trying to make it as a writer”, before noting that she “looks a lot like Rachel Wood but maybe more nerdy. Less plundering and murdering, more dating. Everyone else went out in the dirt/heat [for Season four] and she’s at her desk."
Evan Rachel Wood added at the panel: "She’s wonderful and just trying to make it in the big city. And that big city looks somewhat like New York. You’re a writer, you have a job, then there are those dates you go on… it’s slim pickings out there, not going great. There’s a lot of duds, [and] some good ones."
Meanwhile, we will pick up with the rest of the cast years after the end of the third season.
Aaron Paul is back as human "outlier" Caleb Nichols, now apparently teaming up with the very powerful host Maeve Millay (Thandiwe Newton).
Elsewhere, Jeffery Wright returns as the host Bernard Lowe and Luke Hemsworth is back as his host ally Ashley Stubbs.
Tessa Thompson is back as the Dolores Abernathy copy in the appearance of Charlotte Hale, while Angela Sarafyan will once again portray host Clementine Pennyfeather.
Finally, Ed Harris will reprise his role as the human Delos boss William and his host counterpart, the Man in Black.
Meanwhile, Vincent Cassel served as the main antagonist of the third season as tech giant Engerraund Serac but has not been announced to be returning.
There will also be some new names joining the cast - including Prodigal Son star Aurora Perrineau. Perrineau's role has remained undisclosed for now, but Deadline has reported that she will appear in at least five episodes and that she is part of a group that Bernard wants an introduction with.
Daniel Wu has also joined the cast in an unconfirmed role.
Finally, Oscar-winning West Side Story cast member Ariana DeBose has been cast in a recurring role in the new episodes. DeBose is glimpsed in the trailer sharing a scene with Evan Rachel Wood's new character and has been confirmed to be portraying her roommate.
Will she portray a human or a host?
Westworld season 4 trailer
The teaser trailer for the fourth season of Westworld found its way online on Monday 9th May 2022.
The footage sees the return of Evan Rachel Wood despite the death of the original Dolores Abernathy in the third season, while also teasing the globetrotting for the season to come.
Caleb and Maeve look to have teamed up, Bernard appears to be learning secrets, while Stubbs comes face to face with the Man in Black.
Clementine can be seen ominously standing over a new character, while "Charlores" stands with what appear to be dancing hosts.
Epic and ominous times ahead, with the clip ironically soundtracked to the song Perfect Day.
The full trailer for the fourth season was released on 16th June 2022.
This footage teases a showdown between Maeve and Hale, while Caleb looks set to be in major danger in the new episodes.
The trailer also shows the return of the parks with one set in the 1920s.
Plus, just who is Christina?
How many episodes are in Westworld season 4?
The fourth season of Westworld will consist of eight episodes.
The episode titles and runtimes for Westworld season 4 are as follows.
- The Auguries - 54 minutes.
- Well Enough Alone - 50 minutes
- Annees Folles - 55 minutes
- Generation Loss - 51 minutes
- Zhuangzi - 59 minutes
- Fidelity - 58 minutes
- Metanoia - 52 minutes
- Que Sera, Sera - 59 minutes
What will be, will be, it seems!
Westworld season 4 plot
The third season ended with a bang - with William (Ed Harris) seemingly being killed and replaced by a host controlled by Halores - so the potential for season four is already great.
Earlier this year, showrunner Jonathan Nolan said that he couldn't wait to see the new developments, claiming, "I’m a big believer in being guided by irony. [The Man in Black] winds up becoming this thing [a host] that he’s controlled for so long. And on a visceral level, I just can’t wait to watch Ed kill everyone."
Meanwhile, Harris himself added, "I have no idea what they have planned for me. I’m teamed with Tessa, I know. Hopefully, we can do some rightful damage.”
However, the recent trailer seemed to confirm that Hale is keeping the human William alive as a prisoner.
Nolan has also teased that the next run will have a slightly different feel to the three that have come before, telling The Hollywood Reporter, "We felt we had an open invitation to play around, especially in this moment where TV is reinventing itself constantly, to have a show that reinvents itself season after season.
"So the idea that next season will feel different and distinct in genre from the previous seasons? Yes, that's absolutely part of the structure of the show."
Beyond that, it's anyone's guess as to what might happen - for example, will Dolores make a return in a new form after her death in season three? And is Charlotte building an army? For now, we'll just have to wait and see!
Westworld seasons 1 to 3 are available now on Sky and NOW. Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.
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Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.