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HBO Max has officially confirmed the core cast for The White Lotus Season 4, with the announcement made via the streamer’s X account. No teaser trailer, no character hints, just a short message confirming reservations at the Four Seasons Saint-Tropez.
The confirmed cast includes Helena Bonham Carter, Steve Coogan, Chris Messina, Alexander Ludwig, AJ Michalka, Caleb Jonte Edwards, and Marissa Long. Some of those names had been reported earlier, but this is the first time HBO has formally locked them in. The lineup also includes a local connection, with the relatively unknown Caleb Jonte Edwards cast following a guest role in Stan’s Black Snow.
What we do know is where they’ll be spending at least part of the season. Filming is set to take place in France, with the main location confirmed as Château de La Messardière, a hilltop palace hotel overlooking Saint-Tropez.
Beyond that, details are thin. HBO hasn’t confirmed character roles, how the cast will be grouped, or whether the story will stick largely to one location or move between multiple European settings. There have been reports of filming elsewhere in France, including Paris, with rumours of a Cannes Film Festival tie-in, but nothing official has been spelled out yet.
Still, a few hints have slipped out. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter over the summer, executive producer David Bernad said Season 4 would “speak to culture” in a way that feels timely, adding that while he couldn’t say much more, he was confident viewers would be happy with the direction it’s heading.
Creator Mike White has also suggested the new season may shift its visual and tonal language. Last year, he said he wanted to move away from the show’s familiar “crashing waves against rocks” vernacular, hinting that Season 4 could feel different even if the formula remains intact.
The confidence isn’t surprising. The White Lotus was renewed for a fourth season last January, a full month before Season 3 had even begun airing. That early call proved justified. The Season 3 finale drew 6.2 million total viewers, marking a 51 per cent jump over the Season 2 finale and delivering the strongest ratings the series has seen so far.
Outside the cast, one confirmed change behind the scenes is that composer Cristóbal Tapia de Veer, whose theme music became inseparable from the show’s identity, won’t be returning. Tapia de Veer has since described his exit as the result of a creative breakdown, telling The New York Times that he and White had their “last fight forever”.
White, for his part, has pushed back on the idea of a feud, calling Tapia de Veer’s decision to discuss the situation publicly “a bitch move” during an interview with The Howard Stern Show. According to White, the tension largely came down to creative notes and revisions, rather than any personal falling-out.
There’s still no release date. Based on previous production timelines, Season 4 is unlikely to arrive before 2027, though HBO hasn’t committed to a window either way.
For now, all we really have is a confirmed cast, a very expensive hotel, and a few carefully chosen hints about where the show might be heading next. Which, historically, is exactly where The White Lotus likes to begin.
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