by: Donna Whitehead
Anthony Hopkins and Evan Rachel Wood have joined the HBO pilot WESTWORLD. Written by Jonathan and Lisa Joy Nolan and produced by Jerry Weintraub, the pilot is based on Michael Crichton’s 1973 sci-fi Western thriller of the same name. The series is set at a Western-themed amusement park, with Hopkins playing the park’s director, and Wood playing a wholesome frontier girl who discovers that her entire life has been constructed for the park. “Westworld” is a production of J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot and Warner Bros. TV.
This marks Hopkins’ first starring television role, making him the latest in a series of great film actors to try their hand at the small screen. Best known for his work as Hannibal Lecter in “The Silence of the Lambs,” Hopkins has made his share of thrillers, but his career is bot long and diverse; he starred opposite Gwyneth Paltrow in the math-themed drama “Proof,” played Odin in “Thor” and “Thor 2,” and narrated the 2000 Jim Carrey version of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” among many other roles. Getting back to thrillers, though, he’ll star in this year’s dark European backpacking film “Autobahn,” alongside Nicholas Hoult and Ben Kingsley.
Wood, meanwhile, is old hand at television. She was a series regular on the late-90s/early-2000s ABC drama “Once and Again,” and had recurring roles on “Profiler” and “True Blood,” as well as guest roles on “Touched by an Angel” and “The West Wing,” among others. On the film side, Wood broke out in the dark 2003 indie “Thirteen,” and has since starred in “Running With Scissors,” “Across the Universe,” and “The Wrestler,” among other projects. She’ll also star alongside Vera Farmiga and Melanie Griffith in the upcoming drama “Facing the Wind.”
Hopkins is repped by UTA and Rick Nicita; Wood is repped by CAA.
