First 'Westworld' teaser from HBO

The first footage from HBO’s ambitious Westworld TV series is finally here (below). After many months of anticipation (and some re-casting) HBO released the first significant online teaser for its star-filled upcoming series from Jonathan Nolan (brother of director Christopher) and Lisa Joy, along with producers J.J. Abrams, Jerry Weintraub and Bryan Burk. Though only about 30 seconds long, you’ll get some sense of the drama series.

The set-up: Loosely based on the 1973 sci-fi film from Michael Crichton, Westworld is about a futuristic theme park where visitors can live out their dark fantasies with ultra-realistic androids (there are 3D printed sexbots and killbots) — until something, of course, goes wrong. The cast includes James Marsden, Evan Rachel Wood, Thandie Newton, Anthony Hopkins, Jeffrey Wright and Ed Harris. For more, here’s our deep-dive interview with producers. Westworld is expected to premiere sometime next year.