The Asian setting for the HBO drama follows installments in Hawaii and Italy.
Season 3 of The White Lotus will reportedly be set in Thailand, according to multiple outlets that have sources close to the HBO production. The reports come after creator Mike White made several comments about setting a new installment somewhere in Asia, following Maui, Hawaii, in season 1 and Sicily, Italy, in season 2.
"I think it’d be fun to maybe go to a whole different continent. You know, we did Europe, and maybe Asia, something crazy like that, that would be fun," White previously told Deadline, while specifically mentioning Japan in an interview with New York Magazine.
Even White's friend and actor, Johnny Knoxville, hinted that Tokyo could be the next destination while recently speaking to Vulture. "He and I had been in Tokyo together," he said. "I think that’s where the next… oh, I’m not giving anything away."
However, that has proven to be the wrong country, with the HBO series likely to be set in one of the Four Seasons' several locations in Thailand. (The luxury hotel brand's properties have served as the actual filming location in the first two seasons and is expected to do the same again.)
Season 3, meanwhile, is expected to shift focus from "money" and "sex," the themes of the first two installments, to "religion and spirituality."
"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," White shared in a behind-the-scenes video about the making of season 2.
While no official details about the plot or cast has been revealed, HBO CEO Casey Bloys recently revealed at the French drama festival, Series Mania, that White has "just pitched us the idea and it’s great. It’s a really fun idea and he’s shown it’s possible."
According to Variety, Bloys also said that White is once again putting together an all-star ensemble and "casting people you know." And like he's done in the past with Jennifer Coolidge and others, he's creating roles that "allows you to rediscover them or see them in a new light."
ET has reached out to HBO for comment.
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