'The White Lotus' Season 3: Plot, Cast, Location and More (2024)

Mike White’s anthology series The White Lotus is returning for another star-studded season.“Reflecting on [the show’s] humble, run-and-gun origin as a contained pandemic production, it’s impossible not to be awestruck by how Mike orchestrated one of the buzziest and most critically acclaimed shows,” Executive Vice President of HBO Programming, Francesca Orsi, told Variety in November 2022 after the series’ renewal was confirmed.She continued: “And yet, he’s only continued to reach new heights in season 2, which is the ultimate testament to Mike’s raw, unparalleled vision. His 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. We couldn’t be more thrilled to get the chance to collaborate on a third season together.”The comedy drama's first season, which premiered in July 2021, was set at the fictional White Lotus hotel chain’s Hawaii location and featured stars Connie Britton, Sydney Sweeney, Murray Bartlett and more.Jennifer Coolidge, who won an Emmy for her portrayal of Tanya McQuoid, was one of only two actors from season 1 to return for the next installment, which took place in Italy. However, it will be a different actor who returns for the third season.Scroll through for everything we know about season 3 of The White Lotus so far:

After the December 2022 finale, White revealed in HBO Max’s Unpacking S2 E7 special that the third installment may take place in Asia and focus on “death and Eastern religion and spirituality.”

“The first season kind of highlighted money, and then the second season is sex,” he said. “I think the third season would be maybe a satirical and funny look at death and Eastern religion and spirituality. It feels like it could be a rich tapestry to do another round at White Lotus.”

By March 2023, Variety reported that the location was confirmed to be Thailand.

Prior to the shocking season 2 finale — where Tanya met her fate — White played coy about whether the Legally Blonde actress would continue on with the HBO series.

“Tanya is such a fun character to write, and Jennifer is one of the highlights of my experience on this show as well as my career. So, I’m definitely open to keep going with Jennifer,” he told Variety in November 2022.

Following the December 2022 finale, White opened up about why he brought Coolidge back to kill her beloved character.

“In the end of last season, Tanya is sitting with Greg in the last episode and he’s talking about his health issues. And she says, ‘I’ve had every kind of treatment over the years, death is the last immersive experience I haven’t tried,’” he said in HBO Max’s Unpacking S2 E7 special. “I was thinking, it’d be so fun to bring Tanya back because she’s such a great character, but maybe that’s the journey for her, a journey to death. Not that I really wanted to kill Tanya because I love her as a character and obviously love Jennifer, but I just felt like, we’re going to Italy, she’s such a diva — a larger than life female archetype — it felt like we could devise our own operatic conclusion to Tanya’s life and her story.”

When asked about tying up loose ends with Greg (Jon Gries) and Quentin’s (Tom Hollander) plot to kill Tanya, White hinted at Haley Lu Richardson’s Portia potentially wanting answers: “It’s possible that Portia is scared enough to just leave it alone, but the fact that all of those guys die on the boat, it feels like there’s gotta be somebody who’s gonna track it down to Greg. But maybe you’ll have to wait to find out what happens.”

It’s possible that the next White Lotus chapter could focus on politicians and business moguls — an idea that White had for season 2, but ultimately didn’t end up using.

"Originally, it was more of like a Bilderberg conference, more about getting into some of the bigger power dynamics there," the Enlightened writer told Entertainment Weekly in September 2022, referencing an annual off-the-record meeting between European and North American leaders. "But Sicily was a totally different vibe than the idea I pitched. That didn't seem right."

A premiere date has not yet been announced, however, with the quick turnaround time between seasons 1 and 2, it could be as soon as fall 2023.

Meghann Fahy, who plays Daphne Sullivan in the second installment, acknowledged White’s swift writing process during a November 2022 interview with Glamour.

“He writes so quickly, and he doesn’t do many revisions,” the Bold Type alum told the outlet.

In April 2023, Variety reported that Natasha Rothwell will be back after portraying spa manager Belinda in season 1.

Rothwell revealed in December 2023 that she knows what's coming in the new episodes. "I will say I've read all of the scripts and people are in for a treat. It's bigger than ever," she told Entertainment Tonight. "Buckle up."

As for the crop of newcomers, HBO announced in January 2024 that Leslie Bibb, Jason Isaacs, Michelle Monaghan, Parker Posey, Dom Hetrakul and Tayme Thapthimthong will star in the new season alongside Rothwell.

Later that month, it was confirmed that The Gilded Age star Carrie Coon will also join the ensemble cast as well as Walton Goggins, Sarah Catherine Hook, Sam Nivola, Patrick Schwarzenegger and Aimee Lou Wood. Shortly after that, Nicholas Duvernay, Francesca Corney and Arnas Fedaravičius were revealed to be joining season 3.

In February 2024, Variety reported that Blackpink’s Lisa (real name Lalisa Manobal) will be making her acting debut on The White Lotus.

Entertainment Tonight confirmed later that month that Survivor alums Natalie Cole and Carl Boudreux, who appeared on the David vs. Goliath season alongside White, were added to the star studded cast.

Production will begin in Thailand in February 2024.

HBO dropped Biković from the project in February 2024 after Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called out the network for casting him despite his support of Russia amid the country’s war against Ukraine.

Biković subsequently slammed the decision in a statement.

“Today, a targeted campaign has been unleashed against me, seemingly as an external maneuver to influence decisions that can create a disturbing precedent shadowing the essence of artistic freedom,” he said. “The result of such a narrative is the triumph of absurdity and the defeat of art.”

Days later, Julian Kostov was announced as Biković’s replacement.

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