Westworld Cast Will Be Paid Despite Season 5 Cancellation

• Performer reportedly had pay-or-play agreements to receive payment regardless of the programme’s fate.
• The main four actors are Evan Rachel Wood, Thandiwe Newton, Jeffrey Wright, Ed Harris, and Aaron Paul.
• They would receive payment whether or not the programme ran, to put it simply

Westworld’s principal cast members are still eligible for a sizable pay day despite the network cancelling Season 5 of the show, according to recent reports following yesterday’s unexpected HBO cancellation decision.

The main cast reportedly had pay-or-play agreements, according to Deadline. They would receive payment whether or not the programme ran, to put it simply. According to the report, the performers’ options were properly exercised when they became available last year, prior to Season 4’s premiere (the filming of which had been substantially delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic).

The $10 million to $15 million range has been approximated as the amount the cast is allegedly owed in wages. With Season 3 production expenses estimated to be around $100 million, or roughly $10 million each episode, Westworld has been an extremely expensive programme for HBO to create. The principal actors that are subject to the pay-or-play arrangement are Evan Rachel Wood, Thandiwe Newton, Jeffrey Wright, Ed Harris, and Aaron Paul. The remaining four actors have been a part of the group since the beginning of the show, while Paul joined in Season 3. The average episode payment for each of the original cast members was around $250,000.

According to Deadline, the primary factor in the show’s cancellation was a set of standards identical to those used by Netflix to determine whether to renew a programme. While Westworld has been steadily losing viewers over the course of its existence, the programme has maintained a positive reputation among critics. However, long-time viewers have begun to complain that the show’s highly convoluted plotlines make it difficult to follow.

The Michael Crichton-written and -directed movie from 1973 was adapted into a highly regarded television programme that received 54 Emmy nominations and seven wins. It received its most recent nominations for the third season in 2020. The first part of the play focused on a futuristic western theme park where visitors might indulge in their worst dreams without worrying about the repercussions in the real world. The conversation on the programme would eventually turn to artificial intelligence and the conflict that will inevitably arise between robots and people.

HBO released this statement yesterday to mark the end of the series:

Over the past four seasons, Lisa and Jonah have taken viewers on a mind-bending odyssey, raising the bar at every step. We are tremendously grateful to them, along with their immensely talented cast, producers and 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.

All episodes of Westworld are currently available to stream on HBO Max, and you can watch the trailer for the final season below.

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