‘The White Lotus’ Returns: What to Expect in Season 3

Following the success of The White Lotus: Hawaii and The White Lotus: Sicily, the hotel chain at the heart of Mike White’s Emmy-winning HBO series is on its way to Thailand for season three, further broadening its worldwide reach.

Every season of White Lotus revolves around a different property under the show’s made-up hotel name. Although the third season has not yet been given a release date, filming has already started in anticipation of following a new cast of staff members and guests, including one familiar face.

The season was created, written, and directed by White, with David Bernad and Mark Kamine serving as executive producers.

Who Is in the Cast for Season 3?

The third season’s cast is full with celebrities, and one former employee is returning to the mix of new visitors and White Lotus employees.

In addition to making a comeback, season one star Natasha Rothwell will play her original character, Belinda Lindsey, the spa manager at the Hawaiian resort who wanted to start her own company and end up with a bundle of cash from Jennifer Coolidge’s Tanya McQuoid. “When [creator] Mike White was finishing up season two, he asked to grab dinner with me. I thought nothing of it,” Rothwell told THR of her return. “But he was already thinking about season three and wanting to explore her more. I told him I’d follow him anywhere, and I meant it. I didn’t know where the shoot or the storyline were, it was just a yes.”

When the heiress appeared on the Sicilian shore for season two, Rothwell’s return casting follows in the footsteps of Coolidge, a quadruple Emmy winner who acted as a bridge to the previous two seasons of the anthology series. Though White and Coolidge wouldn’t completely rule out her returning in some way, her narrative ended tragically, and Coolidge recently stated that she isn’t a part of season three: “When they kill you, you have to accept it.”

Franchise newcomers Carrie Coon and Scott Glenn (which marks a reunion with the Leftovers), Walton Goggins (who recently stated that the offer moved him to tears), Leslie Bibb, Michelle Monaghan, Parker Posey, Lisa (credited as Lalisa Manobal) of Blackpink, Dom Hetrakul, Jason Isaacs, Tayme Thapthimthong, Sarah Catherine Hook, Sam Nivola, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Aimee Lou Wood, Nicholas Duvernay, Francesca Corney, Arnas Fedaravičius, Christian Friedel, Morgana O’Reilly, Lek Patravadi, and Shalini Peiris also join Rothwell in season three. (HBO replaced Julian Kostov with Miloš Biković when he was publicly criticized in Ukraine.)

All character information is kept in the hotel safe, as is traditional.

What is the location of the new hotel?

For The White Lotus’ Thailand season, season three will be filmed in and around Koh Samui, Phuket, and Bangkok.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand and HBO collaborated to support the season’s development and filming. The Four Seasons hotels in Taormina, Sicily, and Maui, Hawaii, where Seasons 1 and 2 were shot, respectively, saw an increase in visitation as a result of the program.

As stated by Thapanee Kiatphaibool, Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, of The White Lotus setting its sights on Thailand, “The kingdom’s exotic natural beauty, rich historical sites, and diverse landscapes are the perfect settings to share our fascinating culture, fantastic cuisine, top-notch wellness and luxury offerings, and most importantly our people and Thai hospitality.” “Thailand has long been considered one of the world’s favorite filming locations. 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.”

What Has Mike White Teased About Season 3?

The response is little!

Both seasons begin with a shot of an unidentified dead body, creating a backdrop mystery that drives the comedy-satire’s narrative about relationships and class. According to creator Mike White, the third season would take a “satirical and funny look at death and eastern religion and spirituality,” while the first season focused on money and the second sex. Performing another round at White Lotus felt like “a rich tapestry.”

White stated that he might be willing to provide viewers with additional answers from the second season finale, especially in regards to Tanya’s husband Greg (Jon Gries) and his role in the tragic conclusion. He discussed returning to other characters (before to Rothwell’s announcement), the show’s transition from limited series to drama, and why he might not start season three with another dead body in a subsequent interview with THR.

“Mike must have some juicy stuff for [Rothwell’s character],” Coolidge continued on THR. The most intriguing plot point, in my opinion, will be whatever happened to Natasha’s character. However, I do want to see Greg receive it as well.

When nearing the end of 2023’s SAG-AFTRA strike and finalizing his scripts, White told EW that season three would be “a supersized” White Lotus — something the cast announcements are bearing out: “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.”

Did You Get a First Look?

It was a very short preview for all of HBO and Max’s 2025 programming, but it was true. Among the many future shows teased in the two-minute movie is The White Lotus. Rothwell’s return as a contented Belinda Lindsey is first seen in a 20-second scene set in Thailand, which also introduces a few other characters from the upcoming season, including Goggins, Bibb, and Posey.

What Will Happen to the Franchise?

In November, HBO and Max Content chairman and CEO Casey Bloys stated that a fourth season of The White Lotus might already be in the works. “Mike White pitched us on his concept for season four while we were in Thailand,” Bloys stated, adding later that “we will do the fourth season of course if he wants to move forward.”

What Is the Release Date for Season 3?

JB Perrette, the worldwide streaming president for Warner Bros. Discovery, announced at a conference in December that season three of The White Lotus would premiere in February 2025.