‘Westworld’ Season 2 Spoilers: Why Shogun World Was Chosen Over Roman, Medieval Worlds

It is pretty exciting for the HBO sci-fi show “Westworld” to create Shogun World next season, since park guests and fans alike would be treated to the world of samurai warriors.

In the original “Westworld” film, however, they showcased not the Japanese world but Roman and Medieval Worlds. When asked why they chose differently, showrunners Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy confessed that they’re big on Asian themes.

“If you’re doing a theme park, you wouldn’t limit it to the Western European or North American experience. You’d try to reach a global audience. So the idea is you have a texture here that’s totally different,” Nolan told Entertainment Weekly.

“And selfishly, it comes down to being obsessed with Japanese cinema as a kid and earnestly wanting to make an homage to Akira Kurosawa and the other films I grew up watching.”

Joy said her reason for choosing Shogun World is pretty personal, since she grew up in Asia. “I remember as a little kid being in Taiwan watching films there and being so awed by these new worlds of entertainment,” she said. “You saw new talents with the actors, new fighting styles, new types of wardrobe. It was exhilarating to me.”

Little is known so far about Shogun World, but the website Delos Destinations provided some extra details. “For those for whom Westworld is not enough, the true connoisseur of gore can indulge their fantasies with the slash of a katana,” the teaser for the park reads. “Modeled after Japan’s Edo period, Shogun World offers a chance for guests to embrace their inner warrior, in a landscape of highest beauty and darkest horror. Let your true self take shape in the land where self-discovery is an art form.”

There are actually six parts to the entire operations of Delos Inc., and Shogun World is just the second part next to Westworld. Parks 3 to 6 are currently still closed for reservations to the public, and Nolan and Joy have not yet revealed what they are. Maybe these parks will be introduced in the following seasons.

“Westworld” Season 2 premieres on April 22 on HBO.