Well, it's official. The 1973 sci-fi movie Westworld is becoming an HBO series. "What's Westworld?" everybody under the age of 50 is probably asking themselves right about now. Only the greatest movie about killer theme park robots ever made.

The original Westworld was both written and directed by Michael Crichton of Jurassic Park fame (and tiny dick rule infamy). Crichton passed away in 2008. The film centered around a common theme from 1970s futurism: That one day we'd all be able to enact our wildest fantasies in a completely immersive, simulated environment.

The original film featured three environments: West World, Medieval World, and Roman World. But they all turn out to be a little too immersive, because the parks soon become ground zero for the robot uprising. The gun-slinging robots of West World go off-script and start hunting our mustachioed protagonist through the various lands. It's all fun and games in the Wild West simulation until the men in white lab coats lose control of their human-like creations.

The new series has some huge names attached, including a starring role for Anthony Hopkins, with J.J. Abrams and Bryan Burk producing through their company Bad Robot Productions. According to the Hollywood Reporter the robots will be played by James Marsden, Evan Rachel Wood and Thandie Newton.

Jonathan Nolan, the younger brother of Christopher Nolan (who directed Interstellar, Inception, and the latest Batman trilogy), has directed the pilot. The series was reportedly shot this past July and August. Actors Ed Harris, Miranda Otto and Jeffrey Wright are also featured in the series. Here's the Vine HBO used to announce it, because that is how we announce things these days apparently?

It's too early to tell, but the coolest thing HBO could do (at least in this humble blogger's opinion) would be to set the "modern day" scenes in the 1970s. The series doesn't have an air date yet. All we know is that we should look for it sometime in 2015.

Image: Screenshot from the original Westworld (1973)

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HBO Remaking Westworld, The Best Killer Theme Park Robot Movie Yet