Parker Posey, Leslie Bibb, and Jason Isaacs Join Natasha Rothwell for ‘The White Lotus’ Season 3
The fresh crop of guests checking into “The White Lotus” Season 3 has been unveiled.
The Emmy-winning HBO series is set to begin production in February in Thailand. While the ensemble cast will no doubt have stars announced soon, the first batch of actors include Parker Posey, Leslie Bibb, Jason Isaacs, and Michelle Monaghan. Dom Hetrakul and Tayme Thapthimthong are additional fresh faces, as confirmed by HBO.
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Season 1 star Natasha Rothwell was previously announced to be reprising her role. Deadline previously reported that a “multi-generational cast” will span 13 roles with nine considered to be series regulars. Casting calls for characters between ages 18 through 80, with roles of “a patriarch, a corporate executive, an actress, a couple of mothers, a misfit, and a yogi” are among the casting call, per Deadline.
IndieWire can confirm production will take place in and around Koh Samui, Phuket, and Bangkok. HBO has partnered with the Tourism Authority of Thailand to support the filming and promotion of the third installment. The series received a $4.4 million tax rebate to be based in Thailand instead of Japan, as originally planned.
“We are pleased to partner with the Tourism Authority of Thailand to execute Mike’s creative vision and showcase all that the beautiful country of Thailand has to offer, as the next group of guests check in to the White Lotus,” Janet Graham Borba, EVP of Production, HBO & Max said.
The Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Thapanee Kiatphaibool, added in a press statement, “We are honored to have Amazing Thailand featured as the filming location for the highly anticipated upcoming season of ‘The White Lotus.’ The kingdom’s exotic natural beauty, rich historical sites and diverse landscapes are the perfect settings to share our fascinating culture, fantastic cuisine, top-notch wellness and luxury offerings, and most importantly our people and Thai hospitality. 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.”
“The White Lotus” Season 1 was set in Hawaii, with Season 2 taking place in Sicily. The series is created, written, and directed by Mike White, who also executive produces along with David Bernad and Mark Kamine. Season 3 is expected to air in 2025.
“The White Lotus” creator Mike White told Entertainment Weekly that the series will start filming “at the beginning of the year,” adding, “I’m seriously finishing scripts. It’s going to be a supersized ‘White Lotus.’ 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.”
The third installment will focus on “death and Eastern religion and spirituality,” as White previously shared during a post-finale Season 2 featurette. “The first season kind of highlighted money, and then the second season is sex,” White 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.”
“The White Lotus” casting director Meredith Tucker told IndieWire in August 2023 that she and White “make lists” of dream casting.
“But it’s not like he’s like, ‘Ok, let’s make an offer to this person, this person, this person,'” Tucker said. “Even with the name-ier people he does like to talk it through, and he very much likes everyone to read. Obviously some people are not going to read, but some people who normally wouldn’t read are willing to read because they want to be part of it, and it is very important to him. He likes to not just see the actors, he also likes to hear the dialogue. It helps him as a writer as well, so that’s been an important part of the process and will continue to be. I don’t think the M.O. is going to change at all. As the seasons progress, it’s still going to be the same — people reading, maybe a couple people getting straight offers. I always like to give new people opportunities, people who aren’t as well-known.”
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