The White Lotus Season 3 trailer is here and why does it look like that?

The White Lotus was arguably the most talked-about drama series of 2022 and 2023 and it's set to be just as huge next year, when season three comes out.

After that shocking season two ending, all we could say is: We need more White Lotus. Stat! And we're not saying we manifested this or anything, but more exciting new details and a teaser trailer have dropped and, yes, we're every bit as excited as you are.

So, here's everything we know about season three.

Where will The White Lotus season 3 be set?

Location, location, location. It's all about location for The White Lotus, an anthology series built around a hotel franchise. The first season was set in Hawaii and the second in Sicily. Now, South-East Asia is going to play host to the next iteration of the hit series.

Season three of The White Lotus is currently being filmed in Thailand with creator/writer/director Mike White alluding to the location last year. "We are going to scout in Asia and look at countries there" White told Vanity Fair in December. 

As for the next presumably super-luxe setting, we already know that the first two seasons were filmed at Four Seasons resorts in Hawaii and Italy, respectively — so it was a no-brainer that one of their hotels would play host again.

But actually, it's not one of their properties — it's several. It has been confirmed there will be multiple filming locations, including the Four Seasons Koh Samui and Anantara Mai Khao Villas in Phuket. The third season is also filming in Bangkok.

The White Lotus will be filming in this stunning Four Seasons resort. Image: Instagram/@fskohsamui

Is there a trailer for The White Lotus season 3?

Yes! There's a tiny teaser trailer, released on August 5, giving fans a glimpse of what's to come in 2025.

Unfortunately, though they... didn't absolutely love what they saw. Because the film appears to have been given the colour-grading treatment that Hollywood inexplicably reserves for countries in Asia, South America and The Middle East.

Put simply, and to quote Coldplay, it was all yellow. 

"Can we bully the White Lotus enough to get rid of the terrible yellow tinted filter? Because how are you doing that in 2024?" one fan of the show wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

"Broke into the HBO offices and accidentally peed in the White Lotus footage sorry everyone," wrote another.

"They put a piss filter over this," added another, on a post with 95,000 likes. 

The yellow filter strikes again! But why? Image: HBO/Getty.

Yellow colouring aside, the teaser showed just a snippet of what we can expect from the new season: luxury yachts, luxury accommodation, and sinister vibes. 

While people are not loving the filter, they are waiting with bated breath for more. This first teaser has everyone excited for what is sure to be another tantalising smash hit.

Of course, the teaser also came with the ultimate tagline: "What happens in Thailand, stays in Thailand."

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What will season 3 be about?

Season one was centred around privilege and class, while season two focused on sex and relationships. And it sounds like there could be an East-meets-West narrative for season three.

"My instinct is that maybe [season three] has something to do with spirituality. Eastern versus Western religion or Western people in an Eastern culture," White told Vanity Fair. 

"Maybe after sex [in season two] it would be nice to have something that's a little more celestial or something that's a little more out of the carnal, I guess. But I don't know. I have to beg off, to be honest, because I don't really know."

Another potential theme for season three could be politics and power, which was initially what season two was going to be about.

"The kind of mythology of Sicily, at least from the point of view of Americans, is the archetypal sexual politics and role play that you associate with, like, opera and the mafia and Italian romance. I felt like it should be more focused on men and women, and relationships and adultery, and have an operatic feel to it, so I pivoted," White told Entertainment Weekly.

The White Lotus is set in a stunning location. Image: Instagram/@thewhitelotus.

Who will be starring in The White Lotus season 3?

Sam Nivola, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sarah Catherine Hook and Iris Apatow are among the stars set to appear in the third season.

Patrick is the son of Arnold Schwarzenegger, while Iris is the daughter of Leslie Mann and Judd Apatow. Joining them will be Hollywood heavyweights Walton Goggins, Leslie Bibb, Michelle Monaghan, Parker Posey, Blackpink member Lisa, Aimee Lou Wood and more.

As for recurring characters, Natasha Rothwell is set to reprise her originating role as Belinda Lindsey, the spa manager who aspired to create her own business in season one.

Connie Britton, who played high-powered CFO Nicole in season one, was supposed to return for the second season, but didn't, so she might turn up in the third. "[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," she told Deadline.

"A piece of casting didn't work in the second season and we're hoping to do that in the third season. I would love to see a spin-off on every character in that show."

Aimee Lou Wood and Walton Goggins enjoy some down-time on set. Image: Instagram/@waltongogginsbonafide

When does The White Lotus season 3 come out?

No official dates have yet been given, but HBO confirmed earlier this year that season three won't air until 2025.

Feature Image: Instagram @samnivola/@thewhitelotus

This article was originally published in December 2022 and has been updated with new information.  

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