Anthony Hopkins
Anthony Hopkins at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival. Creative Commons/Gordon Corell

“Westworld” is surely coming back for its second season but a definite release date for season 2 is yet to be announced. Show creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy said “Westworld” is not coming back until 2018. While that may be several months away, fans are looking forward to see what will happen next to the lives of “Westworld” characters and whether or not Dr Ford (Anthony Hopkins) is still alive.

In an interview with Variety, Nolan was asked how dead Dr Ford is. “Oh, he’s dead,” he replied. But some fans think that the death of Dr Ford does not necessarily mean that the actor who plays the role will no longer appear in the show.

But Nolan has refused to comment about Hopkin’s possible appearance in “Westworld” season 2. “We’ll see where our story takes us,” he said.

For the “Westworld” showrunner, having the chance to work with Hopkins has been one of his greatest pleasures and privileges in his career. Nolan said Joy feels the same way. The former described his experience with the actor as an incredible one.

Nolan had nothing but praises for Hopkin’s portrayal of his role. “Only a titan like Anthony Hopkins could have done all the nuances that he embedded in this series,” he told Variety. The actor is also known for his portrayal of Hannibal Lecter in “The Silence of the Lambs,” for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor.

Even Wood praised her co-actor for his acting. "He blew me away with his acting," she told the Hollywood Reporter in an interview last year. James Marsden (Teddy), on the other hand, said Hopkins is one of the greatest and one of his favorite actors of all time.

But it seems Hopkins is not one who is very aware of his talent. “It is happy surprise when someone comes back to me and they say well done, he previously told Mirror.

Hopkins has also appeared in other notable films such as “The Mask of Zorro,” “The Bounty,” “Meet Joe Black” and “The World's Fastest Indian” among others. Since last year, he has been part of the HBO television series, “Westworld.”

He plays Dr Ford, who has been one of the main characters in “Westworld” season 1. Based on his character’s description, he is a brilliant and complicated creative director of Westworld. He has always been clear with his employees that they should never to consider the hosts to be real. In the final episode of “Westworld” season 1, the doctor was shot in the head by the host Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood).

But there were fan theories claiming that Dr Ford has built a host of himself. If speculations are true, it is likely that Hopkins will still appear in “Westworld” season 2. Official air date for “Westworld” season 2 is yet to be announced. Foxtel airs the show in Australia.