Mike White Teases Mind-Blowing Season 3 of 'The White Lotus': Unpredictable and Controversial
Prepare for an exhilarating ride as 'The White Lotus' creator, Mike White, hints at an upcoming mind-blowing season 3 Promising to surpass previous installments, the longer, crazier, and bigger storyline is set to leave viewers astounded Anticipation builds for this highly anticipated chapter!
Mike White Amy Sussman/Getty Images
The White Lotus promises to be even more outrageous as a new group of guests arrive.
Mike White, the mastermind behind the highly-anticipated HBO anthology series, hinted that the upcoming third season will take the show to unprecedented heights, surprising and delighting its devoted fans.
"It's going to be a bigger, more elaborate White Lotus," White, 53, revealed in an interview with Entertainment Weekly published on Tuesday, November 7. "With a longer runtime and more intense plotlines, I can't predict how viewers will react, but personally, I'm thrilled. That's a positive sign for me... I'm extremely excited about the season's content."
Due to the recently resolved WGA and SAG strikes, production on the dark comedy series came to a halt. White remains optimistic that filming for the third season can commence in early 2024.
“I am currently in the process of finalizing scripts,” White informed EW. “However, I am still awaiting the opportunity to cast the actors. In the event that the SAG strike is not resolved promptly, we may have to once again postpone the production, as each season of the show requires a completely new cast with numerous roles to fill ... I am highly enthusiastic and ready to begin as soon as possible.”
(L-R) Haley Lu Richardson, Simona Tabasco, Meghann Fahy, Beatrice Grannò, Jennifer Coolidge, Mike White, Will Sharpe, Sabrina Impacciatore, Michael Imperioli, F. Murray Abraham, and Adam DiMarco attended the event. Amy Sussman/Getty Images
The setting for the third season of The White Lotus has been confirmed to be Thailand, following the first season in Hawaii and the second season in Sicily. In HBO Max's Unpacking S2 E7 special, White mentioned that the upcoming installment may explore themes of "death, Eastern religion, and spirituality" after the conclusion of the second season in December 2022.
"The first season focused on money, while the second season delved into themes of sex," he explained. "For the third season, I envision a satirical and humorous exploration of death, Eastern religion, and spirituality. It seems like there is a wealth of material to create another compelling installment at White Lotus."
Despite Jennifer Coolidge's Emmy-winning performance as Tanya McQuoid, her character met an untimely demise in the season 2 finale. In the special mentioned above, White elaborated on his decision to bring Tanya back for the second season only to ultimately write her off.
"I've been thinking about it, and it would be incredibly enjoyable to bring back Tanya because she's such a remarkable character. However, perhaps her journey should lead to her demise," he expressed. "I don't actually want to kill off Tanya because I have a great affection for her as a character, as well as for Jennifer. Nevertheless, I just had this feeling that since we're heading to Italy and Tanya embodies such a larger-than-life, diva-like archetype, we could create a grandiose culmination to her story and her life."
As the show follows an anthology format, it is likely that season 3 will consist of an entirely new cast. However, in April, Variety revealed that Natasha Rothwell, who portrayed spa manager Belinda in season 1, will be making a return for the third installment. Whether she will be reprising her previous role or taking on a new character is yet to be announced.
