The White Lotus Season 3 is on its way and planning for new episodes of HBO‘s Mike White-created hit has been underway for some time.
New details are emerging about the show’s return and already it’s being touted as a supersized season. Whether it’s casting, location reveals, or themes to be explored, there’s no shortage of information to go off of. Below, we’re breaking down some key details teased so far.
Production & Filming
Production has officially begun in Thailand as Max shared a photo on social media on Tuesday, February 13, 2024, teasing the shoot. “Unforgettable experiences are in the making at #TheWhiteLotus. We are eager to welcome new guests to our resort in Thailand,” wrote the StreamOnMax account on X, formerly known as Twitter. The caption accompanies the image of a clapperboard designating the season’s Thailand-based story and production with the resort logo.
Location
The White Lotus will be filmed in Thailand for its third season, according to Variety, after rumors about the show’s Asia-set chapter began circulating. According to IndieWire, the decision was an economical one as the production received millions of dollars in incentives to film in Thailand over Japan. The tax incentive supposedly left the project $4.4 million in additional funding. HBO has made no official confirmations itself regarding exact shooting locations. As viewers will recall, Seasons 1 and 2 were set in Hawaii and Sicily, Italy, respectively.
(Credit: HBO)
The Cast
Speculation about who would join the cast began not long after Season 3 was announced, with theories about Connie Britton‘s Season 1 character being related to Laura Dern‘s voiced character from Season 2, leading fans to campaign for a possible path to the screen for the duo. Amid this fan frenzy, Murray Bartlett also expressed interest in a possible return to the franchise as Armond in a flashback storyline. Ultimately, it has since been revealed that Natasha Rothwell, who played painfully patient spa worker Belinda Lindsey in Season 1 would return to reprise her role.
Since then, several other stars have been unveiled as members of the cast with Carrie Coon, Jason Isaacs, Parker Posey, Michelle Monaghan, Scott Glenn, Walton Goggins, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Leslie Bibb, Aimee Lou Wood, and Blackpink’s Lisa set to feature alongside many more. See the full roster here.
Theme & Plot
White previously teased that the Asia-set season would focus on “death and Eastern religion and spirituality.” While Season 1 highlighted class differences between guests and hotel employees, Season 2 focused on relationship dynamics and sex.
In an interview with EW, White teased, “It’s going to be a supersized White Lotus.” He went on to add, “It’s going to be longer, bigger, crazier. I don’t know what people will think, but I am super excited, so at least for my own barometer, that’s a good thing … I’m super excited about the content of the season.”
Premiere Date
Considering the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes which disrupted schedules for several months, The White Lotus doesn’t currently have an exact premiere date planned as production has yet to begin. At a 2024 slate presentation by HBO and Max’s Chairman and CEO Casey Bloys, he shared that the series is anticipated to return in 2025.
This story originally appeared on TV Insider
