Westworld Showrunner Teases The Man in Black Will “Kill Everyone” in Season 4

The third season of Westworld came to an end at the beginning of the month and saw the death of some major characters. The episode’s post-credits scene featured Willam (Ed Harris) shooting his way through a shell company that he thinks is creating bodies for hosts, and he’s not surprised when he finds the Charlotte Hale version of Dolores overseeing the manufacturing of many bodies. She reveals that she’s created a host of the Man in Black who can predict everything the real William is saying. The Man in Black swiftly kills his real-life counterpart, leading to a brutal end for the real William. While Harris wasn’t a fan of his season three arc, it appears he’s going to have some exciting things to do as the show progresses. In fact, Showrunner Jonathan Nolan recently spoke to The Paley Center for Media and teased The Man in Black will “kill everyone” next season.

“I’m a big believer in being guided by irony. [William] winds up becoming this thing [a host] that he’s controlled for so long. And on a visceral level, I just can’t wait to watch Ed kill everyone,” Nolan teased. Harris was also involved in the discussion, adding: “I have no idea what they have planned for me. I’m teamed with Tessa [Thompson], I know. Hopefully, we can do some rightful damage.”

It sounds like Harris is more hopeful about season four. Here’s what he previously had to say about season three: I mean, I signed on to play the Man in Black. I didn’t sign on to play the Man in White. So it wasn’t the most joyous season for me, I gotta say,” Harris explained. “It’s not so hard to embody, but it’s hard to feel like something I’m really enjoying doing,” Harris revealed.

Last month, Westworld was officially renewed for a fourth season. Nolan and Lisa Joy will reportedly remain in place to oversee the next season. No premiere date for season four has yet been announced, nor has an official episode count. For comparison, Westworld seasons one and two had ten episodes, but season three topped out at eight. There was over a year-long wait between season one and two (Fall 2016 – Spring 2018), and a two-year wait between seasons two and three. With that kind of pattern, it wouldn’t be surprising if Westworld season four didn’t arrive until 2022 at the earliest.

All episodes of the three seasons of Westworld are now available on all HBO streaming platforms.