With the fate of so many of the main cast members’ characters up in the air come the end of Season 2, Westworld could do a major reset in Season 3. Either way, Paul is credited with appearing in all 10 episodes of season 3. And of course Evan Rachel Wood, Tessa Thompson, Thandie Newton, and Jeffrey Wright will all play major roles. Also, perhaps to your surprise given the second season ending, Ed Harris’ Man in Black will also be returning, as will Katja Herbers as his daughter (or at least a replica of her since, well, you know….).

Scott Mescudi and Marshawn Lynch also have key roles.

Westworld Season 3 Story

As you’ve already gathered from the Westworld Season 3 trailer, we are in a “whole new world.” This is hardly a surprise though since Westworld showrunners Joy and Jonathan Nolan sat down with The Hollywood Reporter back during the end of the second season to say that season 3 would offer the opportunity to explore the perspective of a species with a nigh-immortal lifespan. At that point, characters can start thinking about things in the span of eons as opposed to years.

“I think it’s a radical shift,” Nolan said. “What’s compelling and appealing about these characters is that they’re not human. As we said in the show, humans are bound by the same loops the hosts are, in some ways even smaller. You couldn’t expect human characters to withstand and survive the kind of story that we’re telling. The hosts have a different version of mortality, a different outlook. I think clearly with Dolores, as she’s laid out, there is a longer view here, a larger set of goals. They’re existential. They span eons.”

This ties in with our previous theories about season 3 potentially expanding its timelines to include events hundreds, if not thousands, of years in the future. This was hinted at during the post-credits scene of the season 2 finale. Joy likewise calls season 3 an opportunity to “repilot” the series, and that includes the new direction taken by Tessa Thompson’s character.