According to Entertainment Weekly, Game of Thrones‘ showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are set to cameo in Westworld Season Three. EW tells us that the pair will appear in Episode 2:
The duo will play technicians at Delos, the sinister company that manufacturers android hosts in the sci-fi drama series.
Benioff and Weiss received a great deal of backlash following what some would deem a less than satisfactory conclusion to their decade-long project, Game of Thrones. After the subsequent cancellation of their questionable HBO drama, Confederate, as well as the end of their involvement with the Star Wars franchise, Benioff and Weiss partnered with Netflix. They are currently working on a dramedy, aptly titled The Chair.
Long before Game of Thrones came to a divisive end, HBO audiences noted a friendly rivalry blossoming between the network’s beloved fantasy series and its would-be successor, Westworld. Back in 2018, I discussed the unmistakable similarities between the two shows which seemed designed to strategically complement each other in the eyes of audiences. Both shows brought a certain self-aware grit to their respective genres. GOT and Westworld achieved varying levels of acclaim for their extravagantly convoluted plotlines, shocking moments of violence, and well-rounded characters.
As long as GOT was on the air, it cast a Drogon-sized shadow on the exploits of Westworld‘s free-wheeling androids. It was difficult not to compare the two shows, or even worse, feel a sense of redundancy in Westworld’s ambitious period settings and endless moral quandaries. But with GOT‘s Bran safely on the throne and Westeros free from those pesky White Walkers, I was hoping that the third season of Westworld, which airs on March 15th, would offer us a chance to wean ourselves from habitually comparing the two shows. Unfortunately, HBO seems to be encouraging the continuation of such comparisons.
Game of Thrones was no stranger to celebrity cameos over the years. This practice culminated in the appearance of singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran, whose extended cameo provided yet another moment of controversy for GOT fans. Not everyone enjoyed Sheeran’s unmistakable warbling. Benioff and Weiss’ cameo might prove similarly provocative for HBO audiences who are still disgruntled about the final season of Game of Thrones. GOT‘s showrunners have been more or less absent from the public eye since the finale of the show. Benioff and Weiss were set to appear at the 2019 Comic-Con but canceled at the last minute.
Historically, technicians at Delos have been portrayed as bumbling, sadistic, sexually exploitive, and underqualified. It will be interesting to see what Benioff and Weiss bring to this role.
