Westworld showrunners on that 'Game of Thrones' crossover idea

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Could Westworld crossover with Game of Thrones?

It’s an idea that fans have been suggesting online ever since HBO’s new sci-fi thriller premiered. The 1973 Westworld movie featured not just an android-filled Old West theme park like in the series, but also a Roman World and — most pertinently — a Medieval World.

So here’s the pitch: What if instead of eventually introducing a Medieval World into the show, there was a Westeros World filled with android hosts modeled after Game of Thrones? It’s like how Universal has its Wizarding World of Harry Potter park and Disney is creating a section of its park based on Star Wars, except with all the interactive sex and violence that Westworld offers its hedonistic guests. Then HBO could even resurrect popular dead characters such as Khal Drogo and Ned Stark.

Well, fans aren’t the only ones who have had this idea. It actually occurred to Thrones author George R.R. Martin even before Westworld premiered. In fact, the author mentioned it to the Westworld showrunners Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy over dinner weeks a couple months ago, and we recently followed up to get their reaction.

“We love George and our daughter’s first trip anywhere in the world was out to Santa Fe for a screening of The Prestige at his theater, the Jean Cocteau,” Nolan says. “He’s a lovely guy and a stunning writer and it’s flattering he would encourage a crossover. We should be so lucky.”

Joy noted they have one issue with the premise, however. “I need to be believe that dragons are real,” she says. “I want them be a real thing. So as much as I love George, I can’t lose that for myself!”

Of course, there are all sorts of other, higher hurdles — creative, logistical and legal — that would make a crossover highly unlikely to ever happen. But at least the showrunners haven’t ruled out that other genetic archetypal lands such as Roman World will eventually be introduced in the series. “We’ve got an awful lot of material to cover just with Westworld, but you want to stay tuned…” Nolan says.

In the meantime, more good ratings news for Westworld: The series premiere has climbed to 12 million viewers including streaming, On Demand and DVR. That’s higher than the first season of Thrones or True Detective. The third episode premiered Sunday to 2.1 million viewers at 9 p.m., setting a new high for a debut airing of the series. This weekend, however, Westworld will go head-to-head against The Walking Dead premiere, so its Sunday night numbers are likely to take a hit.

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