‘Westworld’ Showrunners Address Theory About Maeve, Series Promotes Key Recurring Characters

"Westworld" showrunners confirmed a major theory about Meave's choice at the end of Season 1. Actor Louis Herthum will now be a series regular.

In the PaleyFest Panel, showrunners Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy confirmed that Maeve's choice to stick around and look for daughter is not part of her programming by Dr. Ford. Nolan confirmed fan theories that they have just witnessed the birth of free will within the context of "Westworld."

According to Nolan, Maeve's decision to turn her back from the Mainland is the first decision she has ever made. This brings a lot of creative prospect to "Westworld" in terms of how the show will move forward in the next season. On the other hand, the writers kept mum on whether or not the assassination of Dr. Robert Ford (Anthony Hopkins) was an exploration of free will. To this, Nolan said, "Isn't it just fun to guess?," Independent reported.

Elsewhere "Westworld" has promoted actor Louis Herthum and Talulah Riley as a series regular. Herthum was introduced as a recurring guest star as Peter Abernathy, the father of Evan Rachel Wood's Dolores. This is Herthum's first time to become a series-regular after 35 years of working as an actor, Deadline reported.

Like Herthum, Riley also appeared in six episodes of "Westworld" Season 1 as Angela. She was seen among those hosts which were first tested by Arnold and Dr. Ford before being promoted as park greeter. Decades later, she's once again seen as the villain in the "Wyatt" storyline.

"Westworld" Season 1 ended in a cliff hanger after the hosts broke free of their programming declaring war on the humans in their midst. However, it might take a while how these changes might affect the show. Series creators confirmed that the series will not be back until 2018 because of their respective schedules.