Filming for the fourth season of The White Lotus is under way, with an all-new cast and different location.
From the potential familiar faces and the star who has already been recast, to the hotels where the show is being shot and when we can expect it to air, here is what we know about the next season of The White Lotus so far.
Where is season four of The White Lotus being filmed?
Set at the ultra-luxurious fictional White Lotus hotel chain, the show is no stranger to desirable filming locations and season four will be no different.
The first three seasons of White Lotus were primarily filmed at Four Seasons resorts in Hawaii, Italy and Thailand. Season four will be the first not to be filmed at the high-end US hospitality chain.
Instead, two hotels in the South of France will be dressed up as White Lotus resorts. The Airelles Chateau de la Messardiere will become the White Lotus du Cap and Hotel Martinez will be transformed into the White Lotus Cannes.
The five-star Airelles Chateau de la Messardiere in Saint-Tropez was confirmed as a shooting location by Variety in January. It is a 19th-century palace that has been converted into an 86-room hotel, set within 13 hectares of pines and cypress tree parkland. The property is currently closed and listed online as reopening on April 30.
Opened in 1929, Hotel Martinez is an Art Deco celebrity favourite, located in Cannes. A Hyatt hotel, it has a prestigious address on La Croisette, the city's 2km palm-lined promenade, and overlooks the Bay of Cannes.
According to Variety, scenes will also be shot in Monaco and Paris.
When is it being filmed?
Filming is under way at Airelles Chateau de la Messardiere.
In November, HBO confirmed the show would be shot between April and October. Production has started at the Airelles Chateau de la Messardiere and is expected to move to Cannes for the film festival in May.
Interior shots will be filmed in Monaco and Paris in summer, according to Variety.
Who is in the season four cast?
Several household names have been confirmed for season four of The White Lotus, and showrunner Mike White is returning to write and direct the series.
The ensemble cast includes British actor Steve Coogan (Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa), American actress Heather Graham (Boogie Nights), Rosie Perez (Do the Right Thing) and Kumail Nanjiani (The Big Sick and Eternals). The cast also includes French actor Vincent Cassel (La Haine), Max Greenfield (New Girl) and Chris Messina (The Mindy Project).
Helena Bonham Carter was also cast, but has left due to “not aligning” with her character.
“With filming just under way on season four of The White Lotus, it had become apparent that the character, which Mike White created for Helena Bonham Carter, did not align once on set,” an HBO representative told Deadline. “The role has subsequently been rethought, is being rewritten and will be recast in the coming weeks. HBO, the producers and Mike White are saddened that they won’t get to work with her, but remain ardent fans and very much hope to work with the legendary actress on another project soon.”
There are currently no confirmed return characters for season four. Previous seasons have seen the return of both spa manager Belinda (Natasha Rothwell) in seasons one and two, and Greg (Jon Gries), who appears in all three seasons. Greg is the widower of fan-favourite character Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge), who featured in seasons one and two.
Belinda and Greg are rumoured to be returning characters, but this has not been confirmed by HBO.
Why was France chosen for season four?
As season three wrapped up, White hinted at what was to come next in an HBO interview. “For the fourth season, I want to get a little bit out of the ‘crashing waves against rocks’ vernacular … but there’s always room for more murders at the White Lotus hotels.”
This led fans to speculate that it would be shot in a colder location, but that rumour was quickly dispelled by producer David Bernad.
“I feel confident we will never do a season in the cold,” Bernad said on The Bill Simmons Podcast in September. “Mike White is not for it. He is a California guy. He is not built for the cold.”
However, at an event in Cannes, Bernad embellished on the choice of location. “Something happened, actually here in Cannes,” he recalled during a session at Canneseries Festival this week. “We went to dinner and we had a really specific experience with a waiter and a maitre d’, and it was the stereotype. It was a very funny moment. And I think that it suddenly unlocked what the show is and the dynamics of the show.
“We literally cancelled all the other places we were going. We were like, OK, we’re shooting here,” he said.
What do we know about the plot?
No exact plot points have been explicitly laid out, however, the Cannes location and film festival-centric dates imply there will be a Hollywood or film industry theme.
White has backed this up by telling Entertainment Tonight earlier this month: “Season four is about fame. There are some people who are satisfied with the love of one intimate partner or a family, and then there are some people who need the love of strangers, they need that kind of affirmation.”
He added: “It’s going to be a fun and funnier White Lotus … last season was kind of heavy, because it had those spiritual themes. This one is a bit more wickedly playful. It’s a different tone than the other seasons.”
Bernad has also said season four will be “about the arts and what it is to be an artist”.
White's claim that there is “always room for more murders” implies that we can rest assured the film will stay true to its crime-mystery core.
When will season four be released?
There is no confirmed release date for season four of The White Lotus. As filming is under way, early 2027 is likely.
Season one was released on HBO in July 2021, season two in October 2022 and the third in February 2025.
