So, The Wait For ‘Westworld’ Season 3 Is Going To Be Pretty Excruciating

The June 24 Season 2 finale of Westworld is bound to answer some pressing questions (Is William a host? What exactly is in the Valley Beyond?). But "The Passenger" is also guaranteed to add to viewers' ever-growing pile of queries, which will make the wait for the Westworld Season 3 premiere excruciating. Westworld Season 1 premiered in October 2016 and Season 2 didn't hit HBO until a year and a half later in June 2018. And while fans will definitely get a Season 3, they should be prepared to wait for it.

As Variety reported, HBO renewed Westworld for a Season 3 on May 1, but it seems that complicated series is far from starting production on its next chapter. In an interview with Huffington Post after the episode "Vanishing Point" premiered, the Man In Black himself said that Season 3 won't start filming for another year. "We're not supposed to start shooting Season 3 until next June, so I don't even know if I'm in it or not," Ed Harris said. "I figure I am? But I don't know in what capacity, and I don't know what the what will be happening. We'll find out."

If what Harris says is true, then there's no way that Season 3 would air in 2019. So you're looking at a 2020 premiere date. If Westworld goes with the same timeframe established between Seasons 1 and 2, then Season 3 could premiere in October 2020 ... or even later.

Fans have survived this extended wait before though. And it will give you even more time to speculate wildly about these potential Season 3 plot points.

More Parks

As promised, Westworld Season 2 introduced Shogun World and also somewhat surprisingly showed The Raj. If Season 3 follows suit, Westworld could unveil more parks in the Delos corporation. Perhaps even bringing in the parks from the original Westworld movie and its sequel Futureworld — Roman, Medieval, Future, and Spa.

Hosts In The Real World

Ford wants the hosts to get to the Valley Beyond and they should arrive during the Season 2 finale. What they'll find there isn't clear, but, if you are of Akecheta's mindset, then it could be a door to outside of the parks. If that's the case, any new parks will be far less interesting than Akecheta, Dolores, and Maeve taking on humans in the real world.

Hosts In A New World

However, in the most future timeline, the Delos team doesn't seem concerned about hosts roaming the streets outside of the parks. So the Valley Beyond is most likely another system that Ford built. So will any of the hosts enter this new realm? And will they get to play with humans like humans have played with them once they get there?

What Happens To Bernard

Speaking of hosts manipulating humans, Bernard's jig was up when Charlotte discovered that Bernard was a host. While the Season 2 finale will most likely show the aftermath of that revelation, what will that mean for Bernard in Season 3? Will he be rebooted or decommissioned entirely? Or, better yet, will this host somehow best the humans of Delos again?

Will The Dead Hosts Be Brought Back?

Many hosts have died in the uprising against the humans, including Teddy and Angela. Now that Delos is trying to get things under control, would they really recommission any of these hosts? It would mean a huge loss of Westworld cast members, so it seems unlikely that none of these hosts would get rebooted. But, of course, Delos could bring the hosts back as their weapons, like they have done with Clementine.

Dolores & Maeve Will Definitely Return

No matter if they live or die in the Season 2 finale, fans can take comfort knowing that Evan Rachel Wood and Thandie Newton will be in Season 3. Wood told TheWrap that she will be receiving equal pay to her male costars in Season 3 and Newton confirmed the same to Vanity Fair. These pay announcements may also indicate that Anthony Hopkins could return for a third season, but at least you know that you can theorize all you want about the future of these female hosts.

Due to the inevitable twists and turns that "The Passenger" will introduce, there will be plenty of other storylines to wonder about before Season 3 premieres. So stay patient because it's going to be a long wait time to see what happens next on this wild ride.