'Westworld' Cast Still Getting Paid Despite Cancellation Of Season 5

Although fans of HBO's "Westworld" might still be in disbelief at the show's sudden cancellation, however, some good news seems to be coming for the cast.

After having a long run with four seasons, the cast and viewers alike got hit with the bad news that the series would be canceled right before the fifth season. Now there might be some good information reaching everyone that might make the pain of leaving their show a little easier. 

Creators of the dystopian sci-fi series Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy had been campaigning to have another chapter added but instead received news that the doors had been slammed shut on the production.

The only silver lining might be that the main cast will be getting paid even though season five will not be produced. The payout is happening because the main actors renegotiated deals before the shooting of season 4, which was delayed because of the pandemic, plus they had a pay-or-play deal for the season in question. 

The deal is not strange as big networks pay ahead to secure their core members — usually big names in the industry — to avoid the stress of working up new contracts before deciding on renewal.  

Members of the main cast, Thandiwe Newton, Evan Rachel Wood, Jeffrey Wright, and Ed Harris, got their pay raised after season 2 to about $250,000 per episode, except Aaron Paul, who joined in season 3.

The amount owed for the canceled season is believed to be ten to $15 million, which is minuscule compared to the show's budget pegged at $100 million. Shooting per episode meant $10 million, which would mean $80 million if HBO were to go ahead with production for season five.

Obviously, the network wanted to spend less than that, especially after critically analyzing the amount of viewership alongside the cost. Ratings for the show were said to have been on a steady decline for the past two seasons. Regardless of the increase in creative plots, fans had become increasingly vocal about the storylines, which had become too dense and harder to follow.

The Blast reported that the hit show successfully garnered major awards like three Emmys and fifty-fourth Primetime Emmy Award nominations before its cancellation. It was rumored that booting was a way for Warner Bros. Discovery and its CEO to cut costs, although insiders claimed it was not valid. The network expressed gratitude to the cast and crew in a statement that read:

"Over the past four seasons, Lisa and [Jonathan] have taken viewers on a mind-bending odyssey, raising the bar at every step. We are tremendously grateful to them, their immensely talented cast, producers, crew, and all of our partners at Kilter Films, Bad Robot, and Warner Bros. Television. It's been a thrill to join them on this journey."

Hopefully, there might be a continuation of the sci-fi series just like a similar series, "Deadwood," that was canceled in 2006 to the outrage of fans, which caused a comeback as a movie.

"Westworld" was adapted from a film of the same name that aired in 1973. Set in the future, a corporation named Delos created biomechanical robots known as "hosts," almost identical to living humans, to populate an Old West-themed amusement park called Westworld.

The robots suddenly get human-like emotions and begin to harm their creators, especially when old memories are unlocked. Fans, in the meantime, can always either re-watch the 36 episodes or other hit shows on the HBO platform like the successful "Game of Thrones" prequel spinoff series, "House of the Dragon," award-winning "Euphoria," "Succession," and "The White Lotus."  

In 2018, The Blast shared that officials from the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area revealed that the set used for HBO's Westworld and other Western-themed tv shows burned down during the California Wildfires.  

No pictures have been taken as the area known as the “Western World” has been inaccessible. The location was built in the 1950s by Paramount Pictures and served as sets for iconic classics like "The Cisco Kid," "Jane Seymour's "Dr. Quinn, and Medicine Woman," amongst others.