After being rocked by writers’ and actors’ strikes, Mike White is making no delay on moving forward with season three of The White Lotus. And we now officially have some new cast members checking into our favourite (read: cursed) luxury resort.

Earlier this year The White Lotus season one star, Natasha Rothwell, was announced as the latest series’ first cast member. Since then, we’ve discovered she’ll be joined by a few familiar faces, included Parker Posey, Jason Isaacs, Sex Education’s Aimee Lou Wood and Patrick Schwarzenegger.

Now, a new face has been added to the cast – and it’s rather unexpected.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by LISA (@lalalalisa_m)

Lisa from K-pop group BLACKPINK has been tapped to join The White Lotus Season 3. Lisa was born and raised in Thailand, the location for the next season of the HBO hit.

After the first major casting announcement dropped on January 5, 2024, HBO has been trickling in further casting news.

In 2023, HBO declared The White Lotus would face a major delay in returning to our screens, and probably won’t be viewable until 2025 — three years since season 2 officially rocked our worlds.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by The White Lotus (@thewhitelotus)

HBO chairman and CEO, Casey Bloys, revealed on November 2 that “White Lotus Season 3 probably would have been in play for 2024,[but] it’s 2025,” he confirmed.

Don’t mind us — we’re just inconsolable.

Until then, we still have a White Lotus-sized hole in our Monday nights, so we’ll be spending that time wondering where the next season will take place, who will be in the cast, and how we can wrangle ourselves an all-expenses paid cameo.

From the cast, the location and the release date, keep scrolling below for everything to know about The White Lotus season 3.

Where Will ‘The White Lotus’ Season 3 Take Place?

White has kept his lips sealed about which luxurious White Lotus resort the chaotic and privileged vacationers will descend on for a week long of debauchery, drama and, most importantly, death. However, we have plenty of reason to believe it will be set in Thailand.

“I think it’d be fun to maybe go to a whole different continent,” Mike White revealed to Deadline back in October 2022. “You know, we did Europe, and maybe Asia, something crazy like that, that would be fun,” he added.

In an interview aired after the season 2 finale, White also confirmed that this season will take place in East Asia and be a “satirical and funny look at death and Eastern religion and spirituality”.

It didn’t take long for someone close to the production to spill the tea, with a source revealing to Variety that the specific East Asian location is Thailand.

The first two seasons of The White Lotus saw the luxurious islands of Hawaii and Sicily play home to the group of rich, slightly delusional and oh-so entertaining vacationers. Each season has brought the local lore and cultural legends into the themes of that season. Season one explored the exploitation of class, elitism and the exploitation of indigenous populations, while season two tackled themes of sex, lust, power and revenge. Now, we have an idea of what will be in store for season three…

Who Is In ‘The White Lotus’ Season 3 Cast?

While Jennifer Coolidge won’t be returning for the third season (for obvious reasons), it seems that a familiar face from the show’s first season is ready to be initiated into the Blossom circle.

Variety reports Natasha Rothwell, AKA season one spa manager Belinda Lindsey, is officially locked in to the season three cast. We since have more faces confirmed.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by The White Lotus (@thewhitelotus)

Here’s what we know.

Natasha Rothwell

Fans will recall Rothwell as Belinda as the sweet and eternally patient spa manager who was promised an investment from Jennifer Coolidge’s Tanya McQuoid. Does her season three return mean Tanya finally made good on her pledge to invest in Belinda’s business? Or has she simply been shuffled to another resort in the chain?

Parker Posey

Parker Posey was a massive star in the nineties and noughties, with major roles in You’ve Got Mail, Best In Show, Dazed & Confused and Josie & The Pussycats. She’s also made guest appearances in many of your favourite sit-coms, including Parks & Recreation and New Girl. Posey is known for her dry comedic timing, and for playing classic uptight Queen Bees. Can we expect the same at The White Lotus?

Jason Isaacs

Oh, Lucius Malfoy. Most of us will know Isaacs as the Malfoy patriarch from the Harry Potter films. However, the English actor has been a star for a good while now, having appeared in many blockbusters, like Black Hawk Down and The Patriot. We can already imagine that devilish voice huffing and puffing its way around the White Lotus resort, but will he find peace? And will he be bringing his blonde wizard wig?

Michelle Monaghan

Monaghan received her major breakthrough in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang before starring in the Oscar-winning Gone Baby Gone. She then released the ill-fated rom-com, Made Of Honour. With Michelle, there’s definitely some tall, high-powered, New York WASP energy coming to the White Lotus, right?

Leslie Bibb

Leslie Bibb has appeared in some major blockbusters, including the Iron Man films and The Dark Night. Since 2007 she’s also been married to her Iron Man 2 co-star, Sam Rockwell (Charlie’s Angels, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri).

Dom Hetrakul

Dom Hetrakul is a major star in Thailand, with a lengthy career as a film and television actor. Interestingly, he’s voiced Batman in the dubbed versions of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.

Maethi (Tayme) Thapthimthong

Maethi most recently appeared in the Thai Cave Rescue mini-series and had a small part in the Jason Statham film Mechanic: Resurrection.

Carrie Coon

Carrie was added to the cast on January 9, 2024. You might know her from The Gilded Age, Fargo or Gone Girl, in which she played Ben Affleck’s rightly concerned sister, Margo.

Aimee Lou Wood

You may remember Aimee Lou Wood as the initially clueless (but always loveable) Amy from Sex Education. Aimee shared the announcement on Instagram with the simple caption, ‘GULP’.

Patrick Schwarzenegger

If the name didn’t give it away, Patrick Schwarzenegger is son to Arnold Schwarzenegger. Patrick was thrilled when he made his announcement on Instagram.

“WHITE LOTUS!!!!!!!!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! So thankful to Mike White for believing in me!! Can’t wait to embark on this journey with you and the rest of this team. Forever grateful!

“I watch this show every week with my family and every time we would watch they say “why can’t you audition for this show!!!”. So voila ! To HBO, David Bernad & Meredith Tucker for also giving me this opportunity.”

Lisa (From BLACKPINK)

Lisa is joining the cast in an unidentified role.

The BLACKPINK superstar will be credited under her birth name of Lalisa Manobal. Lisa was born and raised in Bangkok, and is the latest member of the K-Pop group to foray into acting. Last year, BLACKPINK’s Jenny appeared in the HBO mini-series, The Idol.

Walton Goggins

American actor Walton Goggins has previously appeared in Justified, The Hateful Eight and Django Unchained.

Sarah Catherine Hook

American actress, Sarah Catherine Hook is a relative newcomer. She’s appeared mostly in a range of horror flicks, plus American Crime Story.

Sam Nivola

Sam Nivola has appeared in Bradley Cooper’s Maestro. You may also previously recognize him from his role alongside Greta Gerwig and Adam Driver in White Noise.

 

‘White Lotus’ Season 3 Cast Rumours

There have also been rumours another season one alum will return for the third season’s trip to Thailand.

Indeed, Connie Britton, who played the highly strung, Sheryl Sandberg-esque tech executive, Nicole Mossbacher, from season one, will likely be returning.

“He [Mike White] wanted me to be in the second season, and there was an idea that I loved for the character. Our intention is to do it in the third season,” Britton told Deadline.

“A piece of casting didn’t work in the second season and we’re hoping to that in the third season,” she explained. This is one rumour we’re manifesting into reality.

Britton teasing her characters reprise in season three also gives us a clue to where season three will take place. In season one, Nicole spent most of her time either wrangling her chaotic family or on the phone to colleagues in China, so considering the next season will take place in Thailand could Nicole find herself staying at a White Lotus while on a business trip?

Who Are The Characters On ‘The White Lotus’ Season 3?

Deadline has reported that the show will feature a “sprawling, multi-generational cast” of characters ranging in ages from 18 to 80. Of the 13 new characters, nine of which are season regulars, the following roles are reportedly being cast:

A patriarch

A corporate executive

An actress

“A couple of mothers” (per Deadline‘s report)

A misfit, and

A yogi.

With the first cast members announced, can you guess who is playing who?

When Will ‘The White Lotus’ Season 3 Be Released?

The itinerary for the upcoming third season hasn’t been confirmed, so there is no telling as to when this one will hit screens. And it doesn’t seem like White has any plans on booking anything in the foreseeable future either.

“It’s hard to think about the next race,” explained White to Deadline.

Speaking to Katie Couric, White also added that he will be taking time to reboot between seasons. Read: go on his own holiday.

“I don’t have a lot of gas in the tank. So I need to figure out how to unplug and refresh or something,” he added. We wonder if White is booking himself in at a White Lotus.

More from Movies & TV