HBO's Westworld is partly about fantasies, though it's far more about sensual and libidinous kind of fantasy than that of wizards and mythological beasts. Still, the show's theme park location potentially allows for all manner of settings to get tackled, and that could one day include the world of Westeros from Game of Thrones. Westworld co-developer Jonathan Nolan shared that author George R.R. Martin actually pitched that to him and co-creator Lisa Joy a while back, and Nolan's response to the idea doesn't exactly rule it out.
He's a lovely guy and a stunning writer and it's flattering he would encourage a crossover. We should be so lucky.
It would have been pretty bizarre for Jonathan Nolan to announce that Season 2 of Westworld would focus entirely on certain settings from the Game of Thrones universe, and I imagine most people not wearing tinfoil hats expected a flatter denial to the possibility of a quasi-crossover. After all, prestigious HBO dramas aren't known for Sweeps Week gimmicks, so this would have to be something far more substantial than the recent cameo-swap from Fox's Brooklyn Nine-Nine and New Girl.
But Westworld is a show set up so that other disparate locations could easily make their way into the narrative. Sure, Season 1 is focused solely on the western flavor, because that's what the source material was set up for. But there are more worlds to be explored, such as Future World and Medieval World (and whatever else Nolan and Joy come up with). It wouldn't take much of a mental leap to see how Game of Thrones' mythology could be the inspiration for a tie-in area of the park. It would likely take all kinds of other leaps, such as financial ones and legal ones, but creativity isn't thwarted by such things!
However, Lisa Joy does have a specific qualm with devoting a world to the Song of Ice and Fire universe. Here's what she told EW.
I need to believe that dragons are real. I want them be a real thing. So as much as I love George, I can't lose that for myself!
Wait, dragons aren't real? Nothing is good about life anymore.
With only two seasons left for Game of Thrones on HBO, fans have been desperate to hear about new ways for the hit drama's universe to live on. Discussions about a spinoff have happened, though nothing is moving forward on that front. George R.R. Martin also has thoughts about a spinoff, so he's just as antsy as fans to keep his epic saga alive outside of book form. Perhaps his influence will be enough to convince Nolan and Joy to make some form of crossover connection happen, even if it gets watered down to a throwaway comment in the Season 2 premiere. It would be a seedling.
While Westworld is still a ways away from attracting the massive audience that Game of Thrones is known for, the sci-fi drama is already a success for HBO. The third episode brought in the biggest ratings yet, with 2.1 million viewers tuning in on the night of the airing, and it's possible that audience will only get bigger as the show goes on and people catch up to the widespread acclaim for the star-studded series. Giving Ned Stark his own Host character could do just that.
Westworld airs Sunday nights on HBO at 9:00 p.m. ET, with Game of Thrones Season 7 not getting here for like another 14 years or something. (Or maybe next summer, which just feels like it's 14 years away.) To see what else is debut in 2016, head to our fall premiere schedule.
