Spoilers forward for The White Lotus Season 2.
The White Lotus should have the perfect PR crew within the hospitality enterprise: Regardless of an ongoing killing spree on the Resort Assortment’s luxurious resorts, visitors are nonetheless reserving additional stays. Even earlier than the second season of The White Lotus wrapped, HBO greenlit a 3rd season — and there is a minimum of an honest likelihood Jennifer Coolidge’s character will make an look from past the grave. The season two finale noticed the tip of Tanya McQuoid-Hunt due to a twisted mixture of assassination try gone improper, concussion, and drowning, however showrunner Mike White is as connected to Coolidge’s character as ever.
Apart from this tantalizing nugget, we all know little or no about Season 3, which leaves quite a lot of room for hypothesis. Let’s break down the breadcrumbs we have now up to now.
Has manufacturing of The White Lotus began?
Season 1 debuted in July 2021, Season 2 got here out in October 2022 on HBO. Manufacturing on Season Three of The White Lotus has but to start, nevertheless it appears doable that the following chapter will comply with the same year-long schedule – which means we may see one other season by way of to the tip of 2023.
The place will season Three of The White Lotus happen?
Dying is more likely to hang-out visitors of the White Lotus throughout worldwide borders, however do not anticipate that to cease them from getting their passports stamped. Season Three will reportedly be set in Thailand, a number of sources advised Selection, although HBO has but to substantiate the information.
Showrunner Mike White had beforehand hinted that Season Three would department out from earlier areas – Hawaii and Sicily respectively – to a completely new location.
“We simply aired our final episode on the community yesterday, so it is exhausting to consider the following race,” White advised Deadline in October. “But when we did, I feel it will be enjoyable, perhaps go to an entire completely different continent. You already know we did Europe and perhaps Asia, one thing loopy that may be enjoyable.”
Johnny Knoxville could have by chance leaked the season Three filming location. He advised Vulture in an interview revealed on February 16: “Mike White is a really shut buddy of mine. He and I had been to Tokyo collectively. I feel there’s the following one coming… oh, I am not giving something away.” With White planning to discover “Jap Faith and Spirituality” subsequent season, taking pictures in Tokyo made good sense. However in fact, HBO has but to substantiate.
What’s season Three of The White Lotus about?
Season Three will comply with a brand new forged of visitors, simply because the season 1 forged handed the baton for season 2. In a post-finale interview on HBO, White teased that season three will deal with loss of life.
“The primary season was about cash and the second season is about intercourse and I feel the third season can be a satirical and humorous take a look at loss of life and Jap faith and spirituality. And it feels prefer it may very well be a wealthy tapestry to do one other spherical of White Lotus,” he stated.
Francesca Orsi, HBO’s govt vp of programming and head of HBO drama collection and movies, did not give particular particulars concerning the potential storyline when she introduced the inexperienced gentle for Season 3, however she appeared enthusiastic about creator Mike White’s imaginative and prescient .
“He solely reached new heights in Season 2, which is the final word testomony to Mike’s uncooked, unparalleled imaginative and prescient,” Orsi beforehand stated. “His braveness to discover the uncharted waters of the human psyche, coupled along with his signature irreverent humor and bubbly directorial type, has us all dreaming of extra trip days on the resort we cherish so dearly. We could not be extra excited to get the possibility to collaborate on a 3rd season collectively.”
Who will seem in Season Three of White Lotus?
Season 2’s forged was utterly completely different from Season 1’s, with one notable exception: the incomparable Coolidge. Given White’s affection for Tanya — and his private admiration for the actress who performed her — it appeared doable that the showrunner would convey her again for an additional spherical. Nonetheless, that does not appear to be the case anymore contemplating how the season 2 finale ended. “Jennifer is my girlfriend and everybody liked her within the first season and I used to be like, ‘I am unable to go to Italy with out Jennifer,'” White beforehand advised Deadline. “And perhaps it nonetheless is. Perhaps you’ll be able to’t go to Japan with out Jennifer both. There are such a lot of enjoyable actors we have now labored with up to now so it is simply who is accessible?
In fact, it is all the time doable for White to drop this banter as a crimson herring to distract the viewers from the path of Tanya’s loss of life within the finale. Nonetheless, it is simply as more likely to be actual, and Tanya may present up subsequent season — perhaps in flashbacks.
One other doable acquainted face? Season 1’s Connie Britton. In July, she advised Deadline: “[White] needed me to be in season two and there was an concept that I liked for the character. Our intention is to try this in Season 3. A little bit of casting did not work out in season two and we hope so [do] that within the third season. I’d like to see a spin-off of each character on this present.”
What else has White revealed about future seasons?
For now, the busy showrunner stays centered on the discharge of season two, however he teased that no matter season, audiences can anticipate one factor from The White Lotus: Homicide. In an interview with NPR, he stated that the thriller of who’s dying has generated quite a lot of curiosity within the present week after week, so he plans to make use of the identical formulation for Season 3.
“It is positively one thing to spark curiosity within the present. Folks will finally resolve if it is satisfying or if it simply feels technical, however at this level I am excited for the finale,” says White. “As somebody who’s labored on the fringes, it is good to have onlookers.”
How do the actors view the present now that the season is over?
Very like followers of the present, actors have their very own opinions about a few of this season’s mysteries. Within the closing episode of the season, Meghann Fahy’s character, Daphne Ethan, performed by Will Sharpe, accompanies him to the forest of a quiet island and it’s closely implied that they meet. However not confirmed! Till now.
Fahy stated in a Q&A with Selection that she believes one thing positively occurred between Daphne and Ethan on that island. The 2 tried to get again at their respective companions, Cameron and Harper (Theo James and Aubrey Plaza).
“I positively suppose one thing occurred. I do not know what precisely occurred, however I do know it was one thing,” she stated. “Actually, I feel at that second Daphne simply noticed this damaged man and needed to do one thing to make him really feel stronger in her personal bizarre approach. I actually do not suppose she led him there to get again at Cameron or Harper.”
She continued, “Somebody stated one thing actually fascinating the opposite day, which is, ‘Do you suppose a few of Daphne’s disappointment is due to her betrayal by Harper? I assumed completely. I feel she went by way of that with Cameron who is aware of what number of instances, however I feel she genuinely thought perhaps Harper was her buddy or needed her to be. She has this weak second in episode Three the place they’re in Noto and he or she talks about how exhausting she is having to maintain feminine buddies and stuff. So, I feel that was a part of the expertise, however yeah, I do not know if I can say precisely what occurred, however I positively suppose one thing sexual.”
Sharpe additionally spoke to Selection and stated the second is “open to interpretation.”
He added that “no matter occurred, this second between them is certainly a second of connection in each sense of the phrase” and “a second of intimacy.”
This story will probably be up to date.
Aimée Lutkin is the weekend editor at ELLE.com. Her writing has appeared in Jezebel, Glamour, Marie Claire and others. Her first ebook, The Lonely Hunter, will probably be revealed by Dial Press in February 2022.
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Lauren Puckett-Pope is a tradition author at ELLE, the place she primarily covers movie, tv and books. She was beforehand an affiliate editor at ELLE.
