The White Lotus season 4 release date speculation and latest news

For fans now wondering whether another instalment of the satirical drama from Mike White is on its way, there's some good news on this front.

The show was renewed for a fourth season before the third had even premiered, with creator Mike White reportedly pitching HBO execs his idea for the next vacation while still filming in Thailand.

So far, the series has taken place in Hawaii, Italy, and most recently Thailand, but where might the action unfold in season 4? And what might the central theme be, following earlier explorations of class (season 1), desire (season 2) and spirituality (season 3)?

If you can't wait for more from The White Lotus, here's everything we know so far about the fourth season, including comments from the cast and creatives behind the hit series.

The White Lotus season 4 release date speculation

HBO is yet to confirm a release date or release window for The White Lotus season 4, but it's hoped that the gap between episodes will be shorter this time around.

The White Lotus season 3 production was slowed considerably by the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and Writers Guild of America (WGA) strikes that dominated Hollywood for much of 2023.

Now that those disputes have been settled, season 4 will hopefully be able to hit the ground running, particularly as it was handed an early renewal in January 2025 (off the back of a dynamite pitch by Mike White on the set of the third season, no less).

With concepts and development well under way, we'd optimistically predict to see The White Lotus season 4 in approximately 18 months' time, which would point to a release window of autumn/winter 2026.

Where could The White Lotus season 4 take place? Location speculation

Of course, a huge part of any The White Lotus season is the location, with previous runs attracting hordes of tourists to Maui (in Hawaii), Sicily (in Italy) and, most recently, Koh Samui (in Thailand).

Each location so far has been markedly different to the last, allowing for different kinds of culture clashes between the hotel guests and the resident staff, as well as a wide variety of stunning scenery to be showcased.

Creator Mike White recently hinted at the setting of the next instalment.

While the first three seasons were filmed at luxury Four Seasons resorts close to a beach, White teased that the location for the fourth season could move away from the water.

"For the fourth season, I want to get a little bit out of the crashing waves of rocks vernacular, but there’s always more room for more murders at the White Lotus hotels," he said (via Deadline).

So far, prominent rumours have named Egypt, Mexico, Norway and the French Riviera as the options being considered, each one presenting a major deviation from what we've seen thus far.

Back in February, HBO drama chief Francesca Orsi told Deadline that HBO was considering a Four Seasons resort in Europe.

"We're going on some locations scouting in the next couple of weeks, so we’ll know soon. I can't really say where we’re going to land but chances are somewhere in Europe," she said.

There are plenty of Four Seasons hotels in Europe to choose from – including a famous one in the French Riviera – as well as spots in Madrid, Lisbon, Paris, and more.

We'll update this page when more concrete details emerge.

The White Lotus season 4 cast speculation: Who could return?

The White Lotus has made a name for itself with its inspired casting, often elevating actors typically in supporting roles to new levels of prominence.

Each season has also featured some overlapping characters, with Jon Gries playing Greg in all three chapters, Jennifer Coolidge appearing as Tanya for the first and second, while Natasha Rothwell's Belinda popped up in the first and third.

As you can see, only characters associated with the Tanya McQuoid saga have returned so far, which begs the question of whether her listless former assistant Portia (Haley Lu Richardson) could be next to check in again.

She was last seen getting the fright of her life from Jack (Leo Woodall), who seemed to be involved in organised crime, before returning to the comparatively safe company of Albie (Adam DiMarco). Could she have stayed with him?

A return for the Di Grassos could also open the door to an expanded role for Mike White's Enlightened collaborator Laura Dern, who made a vocal cameo in season 2 as the estranged wife of Albie's problematic father, Dominic (Michael Imperioli).

As for whether Greg himself could return for yet another stay at The White Lotus, Gries told Variety: "When Greg is telling Belinda that he loves Thailand and wants to die there, I think that's a bit of a story, to make it all sound so picturesque. This guy can’t sit still."

Nevertheless, he admits that he has "no clue" if screenwriter Mike White has any further plans for the character.

Season 3 co-star Tayme Thapthimthong (Gaitok) suggested, in an interview with THR, that Belinda should be the character who goes forward, now that she has come into the kind of wealth that would make another White Lotus visit quite possible.

"They started off something at the end there," he said, referencing Belinda and her confident son Zion (Nicholas Duvernay). "And it could be them riding off into the sunset, but it also could mean something else for them – [using] that money to start something else."

White has also said that it would be "cool" to devise an all-star season of The White Lotus, comprised primarily of characters returning from seasons past.

Of the earlier cast members, he said: "All of these people end up becoming huge, huge stars. A lot of these kids that are easy to get are suddenly not so easy to get… but hopefully they'd come back."

In any case, there will be plenty of brand new characters in season 4 too, including some played by lesser known talent – from young up-and-comers to region-specific talent from wherever the show ends up moving to.

What could the music and theme song for The White Lotus season 4 look like?

Things could look very different in season 4 when it comes to the music, as the show's composer, Cristóbal Tapia de Veer, confirmed to The New York Times that he was quitting the show.

Regarding the change of the theme song for the third season, Tapia de Veer, who composed the scores for the first and second seasons of The White Lotus, told The New York Times: "When [the season 3 theme] came out, I had TMZ calling me, even people from England and from France, because they wanted some kind of statement about the theme. People are furious about the change of the theme, and I thought that was interesting."

He went on to explain that he had created a longer version of the song which contained nods to the previous scores but the shorter version was ultimately used.

Is there a The White Lotus season 4 trailer?

Nothing yet! We'll update this page when any teasers for season 4 drop.

The White Lotus is available on Sky Atlantic and NOW.

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