Steven Spielberg’s upcoming Western is an original story, not a Westworld reboot, according to the screenwriter.

Just a day ago, the amateur sleuths of Reddit were buzzing with the idea that Steven Spielberg might be teaming up with his Jurassic Park and Disclosure Days screenwriter, David Koepp, to create a new version of Michael Crichton’s Westworld. The speculation ignited when it was revealed that Koepp would be working on the sci-fi property for Warner Bros., especially after Spielberg hinted at developing a Western.

However, during a chat with an outlet, Koepp quickly dismissed the rumors. While he kept details about his Westworld project under wraps, he made it clear that Spielberg’s involvement was not in the cards, calling the timing “a coincidence.”

It’s easy to see why fans were excited: Koepp’s return to Westworld and the potential for Spielberg’s involvement seemed like a natural fit, considering the original film is essentially a precursor to Jurassic Park. In the 1973 movie, which marked Crichton’s directorial debut, he envisioned how the high-tech fantasies of the wealthy could spiral into chaos. The film featured Yul Brynner as a robotic gunslinger hunting down tourists in a malfunctioning Old West theme park. Koepp and Spielberg would later leave their mark on this niche genre with Jurassic Park.

So, Koepp being tapped for a new Westworld movie feels less like a random reboot and more like calling in the expert who fixed your plumbing last time your basement flooded. There’s no director attached yet, which led to immediate speculation about Spielberg stepping in, especially since he’s expressed a desire to make a Western.

After years of expressing his admiration for the Western genre, it seems Spielberg is finally ready to dive in. At SXSW earlier this year, he mentioned that the genre has “eluded” him for decades and hinted at a Western project in the works, promising horses, guns, and “no tropes.” This leaves plenty of room for a Koepp-written Westworld to fit into the mix.

If Spielberg were to take on Westworld, he’d be dealing with a property that has been extensively explored in recent years. Warner’s TV division wrapped up a four-season run of HBO’s Westworld in 2022, although series creator Jonathan Nolan still hopes to provide a proper conclusion, which seems increasingly unlikely.

When asked about his approach to Westworld in light of the series, Koepp could only smile and dismiss the Spielberg rumors. For now, it looks like we’ll just have to wait and see what he has in store.

“I have some ideas […but] never talk about the ones you’re typing while you’re still typing them.”