Westworld co-creator Lisa Joy on how the HBO hit went from sci-fi to documentary over the seasons – Series Mania

The problems Western world explore has gone from “science fiction to documentary” over the years, according to co-creator Lisa Joy, who hinted at what a fifth season of the HBO hit could have looked like.

At a Series Mania keynote, Joy said that advances in AI and the invention of ChatGPT mean that from Westworld Topic has recently become more relevant and topical.

“These issues will be investigated further if they are absent Western world than other series [the topic] to a new level,” she told Deadline. “I think it’s an area of ​​opportunity.”

Western world was canceled by HBO Max late last year after four seasons, and both Joy and co-creator Jonathan Nolan said they wished it would continue for a fifth and final installment. Roku and Tubi have since picked up the show’s back catalog.

During the series, which ran for six years starting in 2016, Joy explained the problems Western world researched “went from science fiction to documentary”.

She revealed that she and her writing team have been “planning tentpole moments for every season” since the pilot. “

“Creating the pilot was like an intellectual hellscape,” she said. “You start with the bare bones and then everyone brings new ideas or inspiration.”

writers strike

When asked about the upcoming writers’ strike, Joy said that while she “may go without shows for a while”, she supports the Writers’ Guild to “act for the collective good”.

“It’s very scary for everyone,” Joy added. “We don’t have a social safety net or health care in the US, but even if you get a job as a staff member at a show, there’s no guarantee you’ll get another job right away. The Guild works to make it easier for writers of all levels to make a living, which is incredibly important.

Joy has told audiences about Series Mania throughout an impressive career, including Amazon Prime Videos The periphery and the coming Video game adaptation Stand out for the same network.

She emphasized that many of her proposed projects never aired, including an adaptation of her graphic novel Elena, which fell through at Warner Bros because the studio “couldn’t make a deal with a small indie comic book company,” she revealed.

The project was then handed over to Fox, but that studio preferred a male lead over a female, Joy explains.

“No concept ever dies, it always seems like a new show, so you have to keep going,” she said.

At the horizon Stand out and HBO’s The son, which she’s producing through her and Nolan’s Kilter Films, while also working on “a few other projects that I’m really looking forward to,” including “more video game stuff.”

She also shared an insight into her display process.

“The showrunner’s job is not just about being a writer,” she explained. “I’m very busy looking at each show’s finances and figuring out where I can maximize the value and bring it to the screen.”