Westworld Unexpectedly Canceled by HBO After 4 Seasons

HBO

Westworld is closing its doors ... for good.

In a surprise decision, the acclaimed sci-fi drama was unexpectedly canceled by HBO on Friday.

"Over the past four seasons, Lisa and Jonah have taken viewers on a mind-bending odyssey, raising the bar at every step," the premium network said in a statement shared with PEOPLE. "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."

News of its cancellation comes after Westworld concluded its fourth season in August. Last month, co-creator Jonah Nolan expressed his hopes for a fifth season.

"We always planned for a fifth and final season," Nolan said at New York Comic Con, per Deadline. "We are still in conversations with the network. We very much hope to make them."

Fellow co-creator Lisa Joy added: "Jonah and I have always had an ending in mind that we hope to reach. We have not quite reached it yet."

Following Friday's announcement, Nolan and Joy's Kilter Films said that "making Westworld has been one of the highlights of our careers."

HBO

"We are deeply grateful to our extraordinary cast and crew for creating these indelible characters and brilliant worlds," their joint statement continued. "We've been privileged to tell these stories about the future of consciousness — both human and beyond — in the brief window of time before our AI overlords forbid us from doing so."

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Westworld premiered on HBO in October 2016. Based on the 1973 film of the same name, the series saw wealthy vacationers visiting a futuristic amusement park — monitored by robotic hosts — that allowed them to explore their deepest fantasies, no matter how dark.

Evan Rachel Wood, Thandiwe Newton, Aaron Paul, Jeffrey Wright, Ed Harris, Tessa Thompson, Luke Hemsworth and Angela Sarafyan were apart of the main cast.

HBO

Westworld had garnered a great deal of acclaim throughout its four-season run. It had been nominated for 54 Emmy Awards and won nine, including a supporting actress win for Newton, 49, in 2018. It also received multiple Screen Actors Guild Awards and Critics' Choice Awards, among others.

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All four seasons of Westworld can be streamed on HBO Max.