HBO subscribers have another calendar year of waiting before “The White Lotus” Season 3 premieres. But some casting news may make the wait easier to bear. Fans of the series already know Season 1 cast member Natasha Rothwell would return for Season 3, but HBO just announced new faces who will join her. And it’s an intriguing list, with Leslie Bibb, Dom Hetrakul, Jason Isaacs, Michelle Monaghan, Parker Posey, and Tayme Thapthimthong joining the show’s cast.
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Keen eyes will notice two Thai names on that cast list, Hetrakul and Thapthimthong. That makes sense, given that the new season of “The White Lotus” takes place in Thailand. Mike White will start shooting the new season in and around Koh Samui, Phuket, and Bangkok next month through a partnership between HBO and the Tourism Authority of Thailand. Thapanee Kiatphaibool, Governor of the TAT, said in a press statement, “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.”
But since this is “The White Lotus,” don’t expect Thailand’s exotic beauty to be a focal point for Mr. White. Instead, expect the guests of White’s fictional resort chain to be as lurid, conniving, and immoral as ever. White teased as much in an interview last November. “It’s going to be a supersized “White Lotus,”” White said. “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.”
And “The White Lotus” Season 2 still has the latest Emmys ceremony to look forward to, thanks to guild strike-related delays. The second season of the HBO smash hit racked up 23 Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series. And if the show does well at the awards show, it’s safe to say “The White Lotus” Season 3 will not be the last batch of episodes White cooks up for HBO.
White created “The White Lotus” as a one-off, but the show went viral during the COVID-19 pandemic, prompting HBO to greenlight another season of the show. White writes and directs both seasons, and he’ll do the same for Season 3. Executive producers for the series, along with White, include David Bernad and Mark Kamine.
Again, HBO already announced that “The White Lotus” Season 3 won’t arrive until early 2025. But look at that announced cast list! 2024 has its fair share of exciting TV series, but 2025 can’t come soon enough.
