Unsurprisingly, HBO is as keen for The White Lotus season 3 as the rest of us.
Week after week, the wonderfully satirical black comedy-drama anthology series captivated both the undivided attention (and wholesale imagination) of the internet — be it through elaborate fan theories or the all-important question regarding whether that third leg of an appendage was Theo James’ real penis.
Here’s everything we know about our next visit to the fictional White Lotus resort post-Sicily.
[WARNING: Major spoilers ahead regarding The White Lotus season 2 finale, as well as season 2 in general — proceed with caution.]
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Everything We Know About The White Lotus Season 3 So Far
Has The White Lotus season 3 been confirmed by HBO?
On November 18th of 2022, HBO officially renewed The White Lotus for a third season.
“Reflecting on The White Lotus’ humble, run-and-gun origin as a contained pandemic production, it’s impossible not to be awestruck by how Mike orchestrated one of the buzziest and most critically acclaimed shows,” said Francesca Orsi, Executive Vice President of HBO Programming and Head of HBO Drama Series & Films.
“And yet, he’s only continued to reach new heights in season 2, which is the ultimate testament to Mike’s raw, unparalleled vision. His courage to explore the uncharted waters of the human psyche, paired with his signature irreverent humour and buoyant directing style, have us all dreaming of more vacation days at the resort we’ve come to adore. We couldn’t be more thrilled to get the chance to collaborate on a third season together.”
Series creator Mike White added: “There’s no place I’d rather work than HBO and there’s no people I’d rather partner with than Casey Bloys, Francesca Orsi, Nora Skinner, and their incredible team. I feel so lucky to get this opportunity again and am excited to reunite with my amazingly talented collaborators on The White Lotus.”
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Where will The White Lotus season 3 be set?
During The White Lotus season 2 finale, the cheery yet sinister Daphne Sullivan (Meghann Fahy) suggested: “Next year, the Maldives.” As you can imagine, this sent online speculation into overdrive. But according to series creator Mike White, that was just another red herring.
“I think it’d be fun to maybe go to a whole different continent. You know, we did Europe, and maybe Asia, something crazy like that, that would be fun,” Mike White revealed ahead of the season 2 premiere, before hinting Japan was on the list for consideration.
As of March 28th, 2023, Variety confirmed The White Lotus season 3 would be set in Thailand:
As the first two seasons of Mike White’s The White Lotus were shot at Four Seasons resorts in Hawaii and Italy, respectively, it’s possible that season 3 will take place at one of the luxury hotel giant’s four properties in Thailand, which are located in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Koh Samui, and the Golden Triangle. Thailand’s Four Seasons resorts are spread across the city, country, jungle, and beach, giving White plenty of settings to play with, if he so chooses.
According to Bloomberg, an executive who was personally involved in the deal to secure location has indicated the cast will spend approximately three months shooting at the Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui this month.
“One plotline features some cast members visiting temples in Phuket, where they’ll stay at another hotel, the same person says,” reports the publication.
Another source, however, has revealed the hotel co-starring in season 3 alongside an entire cast of heavyweight human talent (more on this later) will be none other than Anantara Mai Khao Villas Phuket, where reservations have been blocked off for “several weeks” during the nonpeak travel months of April and May.
The publication added: “In Bangkok, HBO has further broken its loyalty with the Four Seasons in favour of a more authentically Thai-looking property, as yet unidentified, says a source involved in the negotiations.”
In any case, both options appear to be extremely camera-ready.
What will the third season of The White Lotus be about?
“The first season kind of highlighted money, and then the second season is sex… I think the third season would be maybe a satirical and funny look at death and Eastern religion and spirituality. It feels like it could be a rich tapestry to do another round at White Lotus,” explained Mike White.
Given the open-ended nature of how season 2 concluded, we initially thought there was room to explore the romances/dramas of all the above. And considering a certain thrice-divorced and once-widowed resort guest has just inherited a whole lot of money under extremely suspicious circumstances, I’d say there’s at least one loose end to address.
During a keynote interview at Series Mania, HBO Chairman & CEO Casey Bloys even revealed White’s current plans for The White Lotus season 3 had soundly earned his seal of approval:
“He’s just pitched us the idea for the third season, and it’s great — a really fun idea.”
Casey Bloys, Deadline
“It’s great that he gets to cast new actors each time. What’s been great about seasons 1 and 2 is, a little like Succession, it allows you to rediscover actors or see them in a new light.”
But we now know that a (strict) continuation of season 2’s storyline isn’t on the cards. Beyond the matter of Jennifer Coolidge’s now-deceased Tanya McQuiod alone.
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Do we know The White Lotus season 3 cast members?
In the first week of 2024, Variety learned the cast of The White Lotus season 3 would feature:
- Jason Isaacs (The Patriot, Harry Potter, The Death of Stalin)
- Michelle Monaghan (True Detective, Mission: Impossible III)
- Parker Posey (You’ve Got Mail, The Staircase)
- Leslie Bibb (Iron Man, Talladega Nights)
In addition to Thai thespians Dom Hetrakul (Bangkok Dangerous) and Tayme Thapthimthong (Farang).
The only returning talent is Natasha Rothwell, who reprises her role as White Lotus resort worker Belinda Lindsey from season 1.
Intriguingly enough, an insider who correctly predicted many of the names above has indicated the third season could also be welcoming a few more familiar names. Which they’ve once again been (mostly) on the money with.
Since the initial unveiling of The White Lotus season 3’s main cast, Walton Goggins, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Aimee Lou Wood, Sarah Catherine Hook, and Sam Nivola have apparently joined the show; alongside Francesca Corney, Nicholas Duvernay, and Arna Fedaravičius.
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When is The White Lotus season 3 release date?
In the year since The White Lotus season 3 was greenlit, there hasn’t been a shortage of industry-related obstacles (i.e. Writers Guild of America, SAG-AFTRA strikes). And it’s definitely impacted the HBO content factory.
“White Lotus season 3 probably would have been in play for 2024 — it’s 2025,” HBO boss Casey Bloys revealed during a recent press event in New York, before adding the It prequel series Welcome to Derry is facing an identical delay.
Cameras are currently scheduled to begin rolling in and around Koh Samui, Phuket, and Bangkok in February 2024. Stand by for updates from HBO Max and Binge.
The White Lotus season 3 trailer
At this stage, The White Lotus season 3 trailer has not been released. Yet. Watch this space.
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If you liked The White Lotus, you’ll love Triangle of Sadness.
