- HBO may have greenlit The White Lotus season 4 before the third season could even premiere, but what will the story be about โ more importantly: where will it be set?
- We spoke with season 3 star Patrick Schwarzenegger, who played finance bro come good Saxon Ratliff, to get a gauge of where the series is headed.
- This article will be updated as details surrounding The White Lotus season 4 come to light.
At this stage, the three certainties of life are death, taxes, and The White Lotus being renewed by HBO for another season โ but has showrunner and series creator Mike White given any indication regarding what season 4 has in store for us?
โNo, he hasnโt told me anything. Iโve said that I always thought a ski resort or mountain would be really beautiful,โ Patrick Schwarzenegger, who portrayed Saxon Ratliff in the hit anthologyโs Thailand edition, recently told B.H. while visiting Sydney.
โIt probably wouldnโt work logistically to film out in the snow, you know? The weather would be too crazy and non-reliant. On a yacht would also be really fun, I think.โ
Considering what an entertaining delight Triangle of Sadness was โ which essentially dealt in the same satirical realm as The White Lotus on both boat and deserted island โ this could definitely be a viable option. One that weโd eagerly await.
Hereโs everything we know for sure about HBOโs The White Lotus season 4.
RELATED: HBOโs Max Has Landed In Australia โ Hereโs What That Means For Foxtel & Binge
Jump To:
- Has The White Lotus season 4 been confirmed by HBO?
- What could the fourth season of The White Lotus be aboutโฆ
- โฆ and where will it take place?
- Do we know The White Lotus season 4 cast members?
- When is The White Lotus season 4 release date (Australia or otherwise)?
- Is there a trailer for The White Lotus season 4?
Has The White Lotus season 4 been confirmed by HBO?
In January 2025, ahead of the third and most recent seasonโs premiere, HBO formally renewed The White Lotus for season 4 with neither centrepiece location nor cast members announced. Though it has been noted that Mike White had already began pitching ideas to HBO & Max chief Casey Bloys during the latterโs set visit in Thailand.
โMike, obviously โ if he wants to move forward and do the four seasons โ he will do the fourth season,โ Bloys told reporters, emphasising the carte blanche nature of the dynamic between White and the network in light of the monstrous viewership and 15 Primetime Emmy Awards.
What could the fourth season of The White Lotus be aboutโฆ
[WARNING: The White Lotus season 3 finale spoilers ahead.]
A good majority of the eyebrow-raising events that transpired during The White Lotus season 3 finale were fairly self-contained to these latest episodes.
In something of a Greek tragedy with a Buddhist twist, Rick Hatchett (Walton Goggins) finally chooses to embrace the love standing right in front of him with earnest girlfriend Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood), rather than dwell on the love he was supposedly deprived of as a child, thanks to White Lotus resort owner Jim Hollinger (Scott Glenn); who is believed to have killed Rickโs father. But Rick just canโt well leave it alone.
After a nasty exchange of words back at the hotel, wherein old Jim badmouths Rickโs mother and โdeceasedโ father, Rick finally pulls the trigger and executes Jim at gunpoint. Thatโs when Jimโs wife Sritala (Lek Patravadi) reveals that Jim was actually Rickโs biological father, though before there can be any sensible resolutions, a firefight ensues between Sritalaโs bodyguards and Rick.
In all the chaos, the innocent Chelsea is fatally wounded. Rick carries his beloved into his arms after taking out a few of the guards, walking off as he promises theyโll be together forever โ a sentiment thatโs honoured immediately after when newly-assertive security guard Gaitok (Tayme Thapthimthong) executes Rick from behind on Sritalaโs orders.
The dearly departed symbolically falls into a nearby pond, where they float to the great beyond.
โItโs a classic theme of Greek tragedy: someone killing the thing they love while trying to get some revenge,โ explained Mike White (via The Hollywood Reporter).
โChelsea has this kind of romantic fatalism about their relationship, and you want to buy into it. She says to him, โStop fixating on the love you didnโt get. Think about the love you have! Iโm right here!โ It feels like a nice return to the beginning, where we find Amrita (Shalini Peiris) in this therapy session with Zion. And now we see it in a completely different context.โ
โIf Amrita had sat with Rick, maybe none of this would have happened.โ
In the same 90-minute episode, the Ratliffs have their own close brush with death when youngest son Lochlan (Sam Nivola) uses the same poisoned blender his father Tim (Jason Isaacs) originally intended to leverage in his twisted murder-suicide plan. Because apparently, the shame of financial ruin and a criminal record for his white collar antics outweighs the prospect of your entire family dying.
Thankfully, Lochlan manages to survive and claims to have even โseen God.โ
Most crucially, Belinda Lindsey (Natasha Rothwell) manages to get her happy ending by extorting a $5 million payday from the scheming Greg/Gary Hunt (Jon Gries) to forget they ever met; a deal considerably larger than the $100,000 the wanted person-of-interest initially offered, which was brokered by Belindaโs son Zion (Nicholas Duvernay).
Itโll certainly be enough to open her own resort like she planned on doing with the help of the late Tanya McQuoid-Hunt (Jennifer Coolidge) in season 1, though perhaps itโs also enough to warrant being hunted down by Greg so he can finish tying up every loose end.
If we were betting men, weโd place our money on this particular arc being the one that carries over for The White Lotus season 4 and probably no other plotline.
โฆ and where will it take place?
In an episode of Maxโs Unpacking the Episode, creator Mike White hinted at a change of scenery after the beachside splendour of Hawaii (season 1), Sicily (season 2), and now Thailand (season 3).
โFor the fourth season, I want to get a little bit out of the โcrashing waves against rocksโ vernacular. But thereโs always room for more murders at the White Lotus hotels,โ he admitted, having previously expressed interest in bringing The White Lotus to Australia on several occasions.
Earlier this year, HBO executive vice president Francesca Orsi noted that the producers were already scouting locations.
โI canโt really say where weโre going to land, but chances are, somewhere in Europe,โ she told Deadline, adding there were โsome countries on the map that we talked aboutโ though โnothing to report onโ until they actually scouted said locations.
In line with the assertions of longtime producing partner David Bernad that Mike White โdoes not like the coldโ (โHeโs a California guy, heโs not built for the cold.โ) โ along with reports that the production previously turned down $8 million to roll cameras in Norway โ itโs safe to rule out that ski season. Sorry, Patrick Schwarzenegger.
Given The White Lotus has been exclusively shot in Four Seasons hotels, it could be anywhere from Morocco and Mexico to the French Riviera. Meaning until we hear something concrete, itโs anybodyโs guess.
RELATED: The 11 Greatest Hotels In Thailand For Your Own โWhite Lotusโ Holiday
Do we know The White Lotus season 4 cast members?
At the time of this writing, itโs uncertain who will appear in The White Lotus season 4.
In terms of returning cast members, theoretically, the sheer bulk of the third seasonโs players could reprise their roles post-finale bar Walton Goggins as Rick Hatchett, Aimee Lou Wood as Chelsea, and Scott Glenn as Jim Hollinger.
That being said, we shouldnโt exactly be holding our breath for many repeats: aside from Jennifer Coolidgeโs late Tanya McQuoid-Hunt, the only surviving characters whoโve either made a comeback or existed as a narrative throughline are Greg Hunt (Jon Gries) and massage therapist Belinda Lindsey (Natasha Rothwell).
If anything, we should be keeping a keener eye out for what acting tour de forces will soon join the rarefied ranks.
The White Lotus season 3 also featured the following:
- Leslie Bibb as Kate Bohr
- Carrie Coon as Laurie Duffy
- Sarah Catherine Hook as Piper Ratliff
- Jason Isaacs as Timothy Ratliff
- Lalisa Manobal as Mook
- Michelle Monaghan as Jaclyn Lemon
- Sam Nivola as Lochlan Ratliff
- Lek Patravadi as Sritala Hollinger
- Parker Posey as Victoria Ratliff
- Natasha Rothwell as Belinda Lindsey
- Patrick Schwarzenegger as Saxon Ratliff
- Tayme Thapthimthong as Gaitok
- Sam Rockwell as Frank
The All-Star Season
During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Patrick Schwarzenegger mentioned: โIโve heard rumours of them doing an all-star season.โ To which Mike White himself responded that heโd โlove to do that.โ
If this really does become the case, effectively, the following surviving fan favourites could also be checking back in:
- Alexandra Daddario as Rachel Patton
- Sydney Sweeney as Olivia Mossbacher
- Fred Hechinger as Quinn Mossbacher
- Adam DiMarco as Albie Di Grasso
- Meghann Fahy as Daphne Sullivan
- Beatrice Grannรฒ as Mia
- Sabrina Impacciatore as Valentina
- Michael Imperioli as Dominic Di Grasso
- Theo James as Cameron Sullivan
- Aubrey Plaza as Harper Spiller
- Haley Lu Richardson as Portia
- Will Sharpe as Ethan Spiller
- Simona Tabasco as Lucia Greco
- Charlotte Le Bon as Chloe
When is The White Lotus season 4 release date (Australia or otherwise)?
Assuming there wonโt be any more global pandemics or Hollywood strikes, we can expect to check back into the fictitious resort sometime in late 2026/early 2027. Standby for the official The White Lotus season 4 release date.
Is there a trailer for The White Lotus season 4?
Similar to the release date, The White Lotus season 4 trailer hasnโt been made available by HBO just yet. But stay tuned for when it does.
RELATED: Gregโs Lavish Hideaway From โThe White Lotusโ Season 3 Is On Airbnb
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