David Koepp is returning to the world of twisted amusement parks. The screenwriter, best known for adapting the hit novel “Jurassic Park” for the big screen, has been hired to pen a reboot of the 1973 sci-fi Western “Westworld.”
Warner Bros. is developing the reboot, which does not have a director attached. The company is in the process of being sold to Paramount Skydance, which could interrupt the studio’s development slate.
“Jurassic Park” novelist Michael Crichton wrote and directed the original “Westworld,” which follows guests as they visit an interactive amusement park containing lifelike androids that unexpectedly begin to malfunction. (It’s a story that’s familiar to fans of “Jurassic Park,” which also centered around a novel theme park where things take a dangerous turn.) Yul Brynner, Richard Benjamin and James Brolin starred in “Westworld,” which earned $10 million at the box office against a reported $1.2 million budget.
“Westworld” was also remade into a dystopian TV series, starring Evan Rachel Wood, Thandiwe Newton and Jeffrey Wright. Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy created the series, which aired on HBO from 2016-2022.
Koepp’s many credits include entries in major franchises, such as “Mission: Impossible,” “Indiana Jones” and “Spider-Man,” as well as original films like 1992’s “Death Becomes Her,” 2002’s “Panic Room” and 2005’s “War of the Worlds.” His recent projects include 2023’s “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” two Steven Soderberg films, the 2024 supernatural story “Presence” and 2025 spy thriller “Black Bag,” and “Jurassic World Rebirth.” Up next, Koepp is re-teaming with frequent collaborator Steven Spielberg on this summer’s alien-invasion tentpole “Disclosure Day,” starring Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, Colin Firth, Eve Hewson and Colman Domingo.
variety.com
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