The White Lotus Just Announced Its Season 3 Cast

When The White Lotus premiered in 2021, it caught everyone off guard with its social commentary, inspired drama, and dark humor. Season 1 took place in the fictional White Lotus luxury resort in Hawaii. The show followed guests as they indulged their impulses to often-toxic degrees. As in, this wasn't just a blue skies vacation where people drank too much or flirted too hard; the guests of The White Lotus resort in Hawaii went hard. Then came Season 2, set in another fictitious location with an almost entirely new cast. This time, the often spoiled and entitled White Lotus guests tramped around an Italian resort and brought hell-on-earth to the lives of everyone in their way. And, just like the first season, it kept viewers riveted — bringing us here, all clamoring for any news about The White Lotus Season 3.

So, what exactly can fans of the HBO anthology series expect from its third season? Where might the next group of indulgent islanders be headed? Here's everything we know so far, and it all starts with a new announcement with casting details.

Who has been cast in Season 3 of The White Lotus?

On Friday, January 5, HBO announced (at least part of) the cast of Season 3. Like Season 2, it seems like we are welcoming almost all new characters to a new unforgettable getaway.

Confirmed new stars include Leslie Bibb (Iron Man), Dom Hetrakul (Bangkok Dangerous), Jason Isaacs (Harry Potter), Michelle Monaghan (Gone Baby Gone), Parker Posey (Dazed and Confused) and Tayme Thapthimthong.

Natasha Rothwell, who appeared in Season 1 as Belinda Lindsey, will be reprising her role.

According to Deadline, the cast will include, “a patriarch, a female corporate executive, an actress, a couple of mothers, including a country club wife, a misfit and a yogi.”

Also according to Deadline, casting Season 3 began just hours after the SAG-AFTRA strike ended and there are still more roles to be filled before filming begins.

Has The White Lotus Season 3 been confirmed?

Yep. It only took a few episodes of Season 2 for HBO to confirm the show "will return for a third installment following a new group of guests at another White Lotus property."

Where will Season 3 take place?

Variety just confirmed that The White Lotus Season 3 will reportedly take place in Thailand, with sources saying crew from the show are already there scouting locations. According to Variety writers Ethan Shanfeld and Selome Hailu, multiple sources close to production have pointed toward the next season filming at one of Four Seasons resorts in Thailand: “Thailand’s Four Seasons resorts are spread across the city, country, jungle, and beach, giving White [Mike, writer/director] plenty of settings to play with, if he so chooses.”

Unlike most of the stuff we watch on television, The White Lotus isn't tied to one specific location. It's really the "feeling" — overarching cinematography, stark look at humanity, and writing — that holds over from season to season. That means The White Lotus could have taken place literally anywhere. After all, most resort networks have locations across the globe. However, we were previously able to narrow it down further based on some hints from those in charge.

"The first season we highlighted money, and then the second season is sex," Mike White, the show's creator, recently shared. "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."

Eastern religion, you say? The five major Eastern religions are Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Taoism, and Shintoism — all of which have their biggest strongholds in Asia. A little Eat, Pray, Love escapism is always lovely. And what filthy rich brat doesn't go on at least one "yoga retreat" during their life?

The internet has another wildly popular opinion on an Eastern location, though. Many viewers are obsessing over the idea of a ski lodge location. Seasons 1 and 2 both had bright white aesthetics. Why not switch from bright white plaster to bright white snow? It is the perfect blend of hygge culture and cottagecore, both popular aesthetics.

Who will we see in The White Lotus Season 3?

Fair warning: Plot points for Seasons 1 and 2, along with potential Season 3 spoilers, are ahead.

The only physical continuity between the first two seasons? Jennifer Coolidge's Tanya McQuoid. Granted, Tanya's unfortunate demise in the Season 2 finale means she won't be around for The White Lotus' third season. Still, while viewers shouldn't be too shocked if Season 3 starts without a single familiar face, there have been hints that we could see a returning guest or two.

"Because the seasons are so thematically different, the locations are different, the cast is generally different, it felt like it would make sense to have somebody be the connective tissue between the two seasons," White told Variety in November 2022 about Coolidge's Season 2 return. But those comments are no less relevant as we speculate about Season 3. Moreover, another Season 1 star, Connie Britton, revealed that series creator Mike White has already created a follow-up story for her character, Nicole.

"He wanted me to be in the second season, and there was an idea that I loved for the character," she told Deadline. "Our intention is to do it in the third season. 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."

Any other possible returns?

Dominic. White, himself, recently told Esquire that he’d love to see the return of Dominic, played by Michael Imperioli. "Who knows, maybe there'll be another White Lotus season where Dominic comes with his wife and they patch it all up!” He said, adding, “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."

Greg. Yes, most fans hate him! But White has already said he'd like Season 3 to deal with death/afterlife. Remember: In the first season, we learned that Greg is dying. Maybe season 3 finally sees his end.

Harper. When we leave The White Lotus, Harper and her husband aren't exactly on the best terms. And speaking of Eat, Pray, Love, what better place to escape to during or after a divorce than Asia?

When will The White Lotus season 3 air?

No word yet on when we might see The White Lotus Season 3, given it was only just renewed. The Season 2 finale aired on Dec. 11, and editing reportedly wrapped just in time for the premiere. In other words, not much time has passed for White to storyboard or fully write another season.

Then, with the SAG-AFTRA strike, production was stalled for a good long while. Now, the show’s producers are saying that what was going to be a 2024 release will likely be pushed into 2025.

So, we could be in for a bit of a wait... but it will surely be worth it.