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Everything to Know About The White Lotus Season Three

by W Staff

Aubrey Plaza and Will Sharpe in The White Lotus
Fabio Lovino/HBO

You may never recover from the finale of season two, but it’s time to start planning the next trip—because HBO is taking us on another potentially tragic vacation to one of the White Lotus resorts across the world. The third season of The White Lotus was announced just halfway through the second season, and after a truly wild Sicilian adventure, it’s time to start thinking about the third installment.

Of course, The White Lotus is an anthology series, meaning there’s not much connection between the seasons aside from the faux luxury hotel chain and one or two of their most loyal customers. Because of that, it’s hard to say what we can expect when The White Lotus comes back for another round, but here’s everything we know so far about season three of the show.

What will The White Lotus season three be about?

Much like seasons one and two, season three will likely center a group of guests at a White Lotus resort somewhere in the world. The show’s creator, Mike White, is consistent in his love for separate storylines that become increasingly jumbled up as the season plays out. The first installment focused on class and money, while season two focused on sex and gender. During the post-show interview following the season two finale, White revealed that he wants to explore themes of “death and Eastern religion and spirituality” next time around. “It feels like it could be a rich tapestry to do another round at White Lotus,” he said.

White said, “It’s going to be a supersized White Lotus. 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.”

Where will The White Lotus season three be set?

In order to explore themes of Eastern religion and spirituality, White would, of course, have to set the show in the Eastern part of the world, something the creator has already discussed. “I think it’d be fun to maybe go to a whole different continent,” he told Deadline during the premiere of season two. You know, we did Europe, and maybe Asia, something crazy like that, that would be fun.”

Deadline reports that filming is tentatively slated to begin in early February in Thailand.

Who will star in The White Lotus season three?

It’s been confirmed that White will continue the pattern of keeping one familiar face between seasons (as he did with Jennifer Coolidge’s Tanya McQuoid and her husband Greg, played by Jon Gries in season two). It’s confirmed that Natasha Rothwell will be that returning actor, reprising her Emmy-nominated role as Belinda Lindsey, the spa manager who got a raw deal in season one when Tanya walked out on a deal to start a new wellness center together. Fans were disappointed in Belinda’s treatment, so it’ll be interesting to see what White does with the character’s arc.

Rothwell and Jennifer Coolidge in season one

Mario Perez/HBO

Rothwell, who is also in Wonka and known for playing Kelli Prenny on HBO’s Insecure, told Vanity Fair that she “gasped out loud a minimum of five times” while reading the scripts for season three. “The scripts are a testament to Mike’s skill and ability to tell the most smart and entertaining stories,” she said. “I mean, everything that he does is like a lesson to me as an actor and a performer. And as a writer myself, he takes folks on a journey. Everyone needs to buckle up, because it’s going to get real!”

She added: “Mike is so collaborative. When we did the first season, we sat down and talked a lot about Belinda and he was so receptive to feedback, and we plan to approach it the same way. But all credit to him, what I love working with him is that he understands that Belinda’s POV is something that he doesn’t possess—so he’s really interested in my feedback, and really wants to make it authentic.”

In January, a whole new batch of cast members was also confirmed: Parker Posey, Michelle Monaghan, Leslie Bibb, Jason Isaacs (known for playing villains like Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter films and Captain Hook in Peter Pan), Patrick Schwarzenegger, Walton Goggins, Sarah Catherine Hook, Sam Nivola, Aimee Lou Wood, and Thai actors Dom Hetrakul, Tayme Thapthimthong and Lek Patravadi. The cast will also include Christian Friedel (The Zone of Interest), Morgana O’Reilly (Neighbours), Shalini Peiris (The Arc), Francesca Corney (The Buccaneers), Nicholas Duvernay (Bel-Air), and Arnas Fedaravičius (The Last Kingdom).

Posey, in particularly, had been on many fans’ dream lists for season three. Surprisingly, she’s never worked with White before, but she does have a long history of co-starring in multiple Christopher Guest-directed films with Coolidge, including Best in Show and For Your Consideration. So, she’s qualified to fill Tanya’s absence.

Serbian actor Miloš Biković (South Wind) was originally included in the ensemble, but he has since been dropped after Ukraine’s foreign ministry criticized the casting on X due to Bikovic’s relationship with Russia. Julian Kostov (Shadow and Bone) has been cast in Bikovic’s place, playing a recurring Russian character.

Carrie Coon (The Leftovers, Fargo) is also confirmed to join the cast. Coon is currently starring as the striving Bertha Russell on HBO’s The Gilded Age, which was recently renewed for its own season three.

Blackpink’s Lisa (whose full name is Lalisa Manobal, also spelled Manoban) will also join the cast, making her acting debut. She’s the most recent Blackpink member to appear in an HBO show; last year, her bandmate Jennie Kim starred alongside The Weeknd and Lily-Rose Depp in The Idol. Recently, it was rumored that Blackpink would disband, but in late 2023 their agency, YG Entertainment confirmed the K-pop superstars would officially move forward together with a new contract. (While Blackpink are a K-pop group, Manoban is Thai.)

As expected, there are still no character details, but it’s been reported that the multi-generational group includes a patriarch, a female corporate executive, an actress, a couple of mothers, including a country club wife, a misfit and a yogi. It’s likely that more actors will be added to the cast before production begins.

When will The White Lotus season three premiere?

As of now, White Lotus will return for its third season in 2025. It would’ve been set for 2024, HBO and Max CEO Casey Bloys told reporters on November 2, but the 2023 strikes in Hollywood understandably delayed production.

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