Westworld season 2 release date: HBO confirms 10 new episodes

The co-creators are 'thrilled' with the news

(HBO)

After the very expensive mistake that was Vinyl, it will no doubt come with a sigh of relief for HBO as it renews its latest big-budget drama, Westworld, for a second season.

10 new episodes have been greenlit, after the first half of season one posted good ratings and became the subject of much online discussion.

"We’re thrilled that the saga of Westworld will continue for another season,” co-creators/showrunners Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy said in a statement.

"During the lengthy journey to the screen, our incredibly talented actors, staff and crew became a family, and we look forward to the privilege of continuing this experience with them.

“We’re also thankful to all of our amazing partners at HBO, WBTV and Bad Robot for their steadfast support, imagination and ambition. We simply couldn't have made this show anywhere else."

As for a release date, HBO is aiming for late 2017 but it might well be early 2018 due to the scale of shooting.

"Westworld is such a big, ambitious show. I don't know if it will be fall of 2017 or into '18," HBO programming president Casey Bloys told The Hollywood Reporter.

"That will depend as we get up and running. With Westworld, because the production is such a big endeavor, I don't exactly know when [it will premiere] yet.

“I can't speculate other than to say it'll either be '17 or '18. Probably more like '18 and half-hours [Insecure and Divorce] in '17 but we're a year away so let's see how it goes."

Westworld saw a dramatic twist this week, drawing parallels to the current political situation in America.