'The White Lotus' Season 3: Everything to Know
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Between who's in the cast and where it will take place, here's everything to know about the third installment of Mike White's HBO hit
This post contains spoilers for The White Lotus.
Pack your bags because we're heading back to the White Lotus!
Following the season 2 finale of The White Lotus in December 2022, fans of the HBO show are already craving more. Fortunately, series creator Mike White confirmed that a third installment of the vacation-based hit is on the horizon.
"[Mike's] courage to explore the uncharted waters of the human psyche, paired with his signature irreverent humor and buoyant directing style, have us all dreaming of more vacation days at the resort we've come to adore," executive vice president of HBO Programming Francesca Orsi said in a statement.
News that The White Lotus had been renewed for a season 3 came just three episodes after season 2 premiered, causing fans to speculate possible plot points and potential characters to make their return.
Each season of the award-winning anthology series — which recently took home two SAG Awards — has seen a (mostly) new crop of guests check into an entirely different White Lotus resort. While the first season was set in Hawaii and the second was set in Sicily, the third season is heading to Southeast Asia.
Here's everything to know about The White Lotus season 3, including who's in the cast and when filming is scheduled to begin.
Who is in The White Lotus season 3 cast?
Since the HBO hit is an anthology series, the cast and plot differ from season to season. In April 2023, Variety reported that Natasha Rothwell, who played spa manager Belinda Lindsey, will return for season 3.
On Jan. 5, HBO announced new cast members to star in the third installment. Among them include Leslie Bibb, Dom Hetrakul, Jason Isaacs, Michelle Monaghan, Parker Posey and Tayme Thapthimthong.
A few weeks later, season 3 added five more members to its cast. Walton Goggins, Sarah Catherine Hook, Sam Nivola, Patrick Schwarzenegger and Aimee Lou Wood were announced.
Prior to viewing the last episode of season 2, fans could assume Jennifer Coolidge would be reprising her role as Tanya McQuoid-Hunt come round three (since she and Jon Gries were the only actors to reprise their roles in the show's sophomore season) — but following her fate in the finale, the only possible chance for the Emmy-winning actress to make her return would be via flashbacks.
Related: Laura Dern Got to Eviscerate Michael Imperioli in Sneaky White Lotus Premiere Cameo
Meanwhile, White teased the potential future of Michael Imperioli's character, Dominic Di Grosso, when speaking with Esquire post the season 2 wrap. "Who knows, maybe there'll be another White Lotus season where Dominic comes with his wife and they patch it all up!" White said.
"I don't want to think about it too much," he continued. "Because the idea of that makes me so happy. I don't want to be disappointed… I would want nothing more than that. I just loved working with Mike [Imperioli] so much."
Clearly, White is keen on having Dominic return to the scene, but he also hinted at a possible continuation of Gries' Greg Hunt and Haley Lu Richardson's Portia since season 2's final scenes left a lot of questions unanswered.
"I think as far as like, what happens to Greg and the conspiracy of Tanya's death, it's possible that I think Portia is scared enough to just leave it alone," White told Esquire. "But maybe you'll have to wait to find out what happens."
As for season 1 characters making a potential comeback, Connie Britton (who played the powerful CEO Nicole Mossbacher) told Deadline in June why she didn't reprise her role in season 2 — but gave fans hope for a possible revival when the show makes its return.
"[White] wanted me to be in the second season, and there was an idea that I loved for the character," said Britton. "A piece of casting didn't work in the second season and we're hoping to [do] that in the third season. I would love to see a spin-off on every character in that show."
What is The White Lotus season 3 about?
As previously mentioned, The White Lotus is an anthology series, so each season doesn't necessarily pick up from where it last left off. But with White's aforementioned tease that he'd be interested in the mystery surrounding Greg and the conspiracy of Tanya's death, a possible continuation isn't out of the picture.
Will Greg get his money? Who was he talking to on the phone? Will Portia put the pieces of the puzzle together and muster up the courage to confront him? These are the season 2 questions fans need answered following the murderous boat scene — and quite frankly, so does White. "It feels like there's gotta be somebody who's gonna track it back down to Greg," he told Esquire.
While those plot points are merely potential, White did indirectly confirm that The White Lotus season 3 storyline could be set in Asia when speaking about each season's respective themes during an HBO Max featurette after the final episode aired.
"The first season we highlighted money and then the second season is sex and I think the third season, it would be maybe a kind of satirical and funny look at death in Eastern religion and spirituality — it feels like it could be a rich tapestry to do another round at White Lotus," he said.
Related: The White Lotus Season 2 Finale: How It Ended and Who Died
Where will The White Lotus season 3 be set?
After White previously teased that he'd like the show to "go to a whole different continent," Variety reported in March 2023 that production is heading to Thailand for the new season. At the time, the publication added that it's possible the new season will be set at one of the Four Seasons' "four properties in Thailand, which are located in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Koh Samui and the Golden Triangle."
When will production begin for The White Lotus season 3?
The White Lotus season 3 will begin production in February around Koh Samui, Phuket and Bangkok as the plot follows a new group of guests at another White Lotus property. HBO has partnered with the Tourism Authority of Thailand to support the filming and promotion of the third installment.
“We are honored to have Amazing Thailand featured as the filming location for the highly anticipated upcoming season of The White Lotus," Thapanee Kiatphaibool, the governor of the tourism authority of Thailand Thapanee Kiatphaibool, said in a statement.
"Thailand has long been considered one of the world’s favorite filming locations," she continued. "The White Lotus project will certainly strengthen the kingdom’s status as a preferred filming destination and a beacon of experience-based tourism, inspiring even more visitors to Amazing Thailand.”
How many episodes will The White Lotus Season 3 have?
News that The White Lotus had been renewed for a third installment came in November 2022 after three episodes of season 2 had aired, but confirmation on how many episodes will be in season 3 has yet to be announced.
It's hard to make a prediction since the number of episodes have not been consistent. The first season of The White Lotus consisted of six episodes while the second installment had seven. If the upward trend continues, maybe round three will have eight? Guess we'll have to wait and see!
Related: All Your White Lotus Season 2 Style Questions Answered Ahead of the Finale
When will The White Lotus Season 3 premiere?
On Nov. 2, HBO revealed at a presentation that the release of The White Lotus season 3 has been pushed to 2025.
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Will there be a White Lotus season 4?
News of whether The White Lotus has been renewed for a fourth installment remains unknown. But seasons 1 and 2 are streaming in full on HBO Max now, so we'll be watching those on repeat while we patiently wait for more!
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