Why The White Lotus Season 3 Swapped Locations Revealed

The White Lotus has become a unique hit, with actors across Hollywood eager to join the HBO anthology. A third season of the series has already been greenlit, and details have been scarce amid the recent writers and actors strikes. Previous comments — from Johnny Knoxville, oddly enough — seemed to hint that the third season would be filmed in Tokyo, Japan, but we now know that might not be the case. At a recent keynote address at the Tokyo Film Festival, Japanese producer Georgina Pope revealed that a “high profile showrunner” (who was later confirmed by Deadline to be The White Lotus creator Mike White) scouted locations in Japan, but ultimately chose to film in Thailand due to increased tax incentives.

“It was a great scout. We saw some absolutely stunning locations all over Honshu. The showrunner loved it all, and I was feeling very confident that I had it all in the bag,” Pope said. “The Thai government had just announced a renewal and improvement on their film incentive system. A 30 percent rebate. For their project, that meant $4.4 million alone,” Pope said. “Everyone looked at me with sympathy. At the time in Japan, we had no incentive in place at all. I could not respond with a concrete answer. All I could hear was the sound of a $35 million project flying out the window.”

What Will The White Lotus Season 3 Be About?

Shortly after the Season 2 finale, White teased that the new batch of episodes would hypothetically tackle religion, as the previous seasons tackled money and sex. 

“The first season kind of highlighted money,” White explained at the time. “And then, the second season is sex. And I think the third season would be maybe a kind of satirical and funny look at death and Eastern religion and spirituality. And it feels like it could be a rich tapestry to do another round at White Lotus.” 

Who Is Cast in The White Lotus Season 3?

At the moment, no new or returning cast members have been confirmed for The White Lotus Season 3. Jennifer Coolidge, who portrayed Tanya McQuoid in the show’s first two seasons, has confirmed she will not return in the new episodes. Actors have advocated for being in the project, however, with Jennifer Aniston revealing earlier this year that she is “obsessed with” the show, and seemed very on board with the idea of joining the show — and possibly playing Tanya’s sister.

“Did you hear it, Mike White?” Aniston exclaimed, when the interviewer suggested she join the show. “I want Jennifer Coolidge. I love her… Remember when Mike said at the Golden Globes, ‘I know you all passed on it!’ I didn’t! I didn’t even get a call.”

Are you excited for the next season of The White Lotus? How do you feel about this change in locales? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!