HBO cancels Westworld despite plans for final season

HBO won't be bringing Westworld back online.

The network has shockingly canceled its sci-fi series starring Evan Rachel Wood and Thandiwe Newton after four seasons, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

This marks a surprising end for a series positioned as a potential Game of Thrones level hit for HBO when it premiered in 2016. But ratings declined in the recent two seasons after some viewers complained that the show had become increasingly difficult to follow beginning in season two. Still, fans thought HBO would at least bring Westworld back for one more season to wrap everything up, as the season four finale, which aired in August, did not conclude show's central storylines.

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Creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy had also said they planned for a fifth and final season, which was set up by season four. Joy previously told Deadline that she and Nolan "have always had an ending in mind that we hope to reach. We have not quite reached it yet."

In a statement to Variety, HBO thanked Nolan and Joy, as well as the show's cast and crew, saying, "It's been a thrill to join them on this journey."

The decision came in the wake of David Zaslav taking over as CEO at Warner Bros. Discovery and imposing many cost-cutting measures, which included the cancellation of a Batgirl movie that had already been filmed. He defended his decisions on Thursday by saying that "we did not get rid of any show that was helping us."

As for Westworld, then, it turns out these violent delights don't have ends at all.