Like Jennifer Coolidge’s Tanya, you may never recover from the finale of The White Lotus’s second season, but it’s time to start planning your next trip—because HBO is taking us on another vacation to one of the White Lotus resorts across the world for season three.
Of course, The White Lotus is an anthology series, meaning there’s not much connection between each installment aside from the faux luxury hotel chain where it’s set, and one or two of its most loyal customers. Because of that, it’s hard to say what exactly 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:
Where will The White Lotus season three be set?
This time, we’re heading to Thailand. The season’s first teaser dropped on August 5, and the brief clip shows the cast awash in a hot and humid yellow filter, riding a speed boat, jumping in a pool, practicing what looks like Muay Thai boxing, and the words, “What happens in Thailand, stays in Thailand.”
What will The White Lotus season three be about?
Much like seasons one and two, season three will center a group of guests at a White Lotus resort, with an overarching theme connecting their storylines. The show’s first installment focused on class and money, while season two skewered the roles of sex and gender. During a post-show interview following the season two finale, creator Mike White revealed that he wants to explore themes of “death and Eastern religion and spirituality” in season three. Hence, the Thai setting.
White has also said of the season: “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.”
Who will star in The White Lotus season three?
It’s been confirmed that White will continue the pattern of keeping at least 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). In this case, Natasha Rothwell will be that returning actor, reprising her Emmy-nominated role from season one as Belinda Lindsey, the spa manager who got a raw deal when Tanya ghosted on an agreement to start a new wellness center together. Fans were disappointed in Belinda’s harsh 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 recently starred in Wonka and is perhaps best 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 season three scripts, calling them “a testament to Mike’s skill and ability to tell the most smart and entertaining stories,” adding, “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 continued: “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 confirmed, including: Parker Posey, Michelle Monaghan, Leslie Bibb, Jason Isaacs, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Walton Goggins, Sarah Catherine Hook, Sam Nivola, Aimee Lou Wood, Christian Friedel, Morgana O’Reilly, Shalini Peiris, Francesca Corney, Nicholas Duvernay, and Arnas Fedaravičius. The cast will also include Thai actors Dom Hetrakul, Tayme Thapthimthong and Lek Patravadi.
Posey, in particular, has popped up on many fans’s dream casting lists. 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. (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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