BLACKPINK’s Lisa Joins The Cast Of The White Lotus Season 3

One of the biggest TV shows of the modern day, The White Lotus isn’t hanging up its boots just yet. Following two heavily-awarded first seasons (five Emmys and two Golden Globes, to name a few), anticipation is sky-high for the third, which is currently in the works. Here are all the details we have so far – including all the newcomers expected to make an appearance in season 3.

The White Lotus Season 3: What Do We Know So Far?

BLACKPINK’s Lisa Joins The Cast Of The White Lotus Season 3

It’s official: we have more names on the cast list for The White Lotus‘s third instalment. The latest the join the award-winning show include Scott Glenn (The Silence of the Lambs, Greenland), Julian Kostov (The Toxic Avenger, Leatherface) and BLACKPINK member Lisa.

The K-pop star is set to make her acting debut with The White Lotus and will be credited under her given name, Lalisa Manobal. While we don’t yet know the details of her role on the show, a casting call posted not too long ago may give some clues; it asked for ‘a patriarch, a corporate executive, an actress, a couple of mothers, a misfit and a yogi’. It’s also worth noting that Manobal is Thai, meaning she could also be a local working at the Thailand-based White Lotus resort.

Lisa (Lalisa Manobal) in LIGHT UP THE SKY (c) NETFLIX/Netflix, 2020

Variety also reported in January 2024 that an array of new actors will be join the cast in season 3. This includes Aimee Lou Wood (the face of Aimee Gibbs in Sex Education), Patrick Schwarzenegger, Walton Goggins, Sarah Catherine Hook and Sam Nivola. These five stars will join previously announced White Lotus newcomers: Jason Isaacs (known for playing Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter films and Marshal Georgy Zhukov in The Death of Stalin) and Leslie Bibb (star of Iron Man and Jupiter’s Legacy), as well as Parker Posey, Dom Hetrakul, Michelle Monaghan and Tayme Thapthimthong.

Season 2 also had a different cast to season 1 – bar two familiar faces: Jennifer Coolidge, who plays melancholic heiress Tanya (arguably the best of all), and Jon Gries, who plays her husband Greg (not so loveable). Given how season 2 ended (spoiler alert), it’s unlikely Tanya will return for season 3. Saying that, White did previously say to Deadline: ‘Jennifer is my friend and everybody loved her in the first season, and I was like, “I can’t go to Italy without Jennifer.” And maybe that’s still the case. Like, maybe you can’t go to Japan without Jennifer, either. There are so many fun actors we’ve worked with so far, so it’s just kind of like who’s available.’ That was before we saw her tragic fate in season 2 – but perhaps she’ll return in flashbacks? Equally, it could have been White trying to throw us off ahead of the finale.

The cast of The White Lotus season 2

One thing we do know is that Natasha Rothwell, who played spa manager Belinda Lindsey in season 1, will be returning for season 3. Rothwell has spoken about reprising her role in an interview with Vanity Fair at the Wonka premiere, describing the shock factor of the new scripts. ‘I gasped out loud a minimum of five times, and this was just me reading them. The scripts are a testament to Mike’s skill and ability to tell the most smart and entertaining stories. I mean, everything that he does is like a lesson to me as an actor and a performer. And as a writer myself, he takes folks on a journey. Everyone needs to buckle up, because it’s going to get real!’ 

So what’s in store for Belinda in season 3? While Rothwell didn’t give anything away, she said: ‘Mike is so collaborative. When we did the first season, we sat down and talked a lot about Belinda and he was so receptive to feedback, and so we plan to approach it the same way.’

Where Will The White Lotus Season 3 Take Place?

It’s been confirmed that season 3 of The White Lotus will take place in Thailand, with production set to begin in and around Koh Samui, Phuket, and Bangkok in February 2024. HBO partnered with the Tourism Authority of Thailand to support the filming and promotion of the third instalment. So far, the show has taken us to Hawaii and Sicily, so it’s no surprise that the location for season 3 will be equally sunny. Here are our speculations on the possible hotel filming locations.

Sabrina Impacciatore as Valentina in The White Lotus season 2

What Will The White Lotus Season 3 Be About?

Fans will know the premise well: each season is set in a different location of fictional hotel group The White Lotus, and follows a group of wealthy characters staying there. The two first seasons begin by ominously showing viewers that there has been a death at the hotel, before going back to tell the interweaving stories of the various guests, which lead up to the tragic event. Both are social satires, with the first focusing predominantly on themes of wealth and colonialism, and the second looking into topics of sex, lust and love. So what’s in store for season 3?

According to the show’s creator Mike White, season 3 will be ‘a satirical and funny look at death and Eastern religion and spirituality.’ He has also said it’s going to be a ‘supersized’ White Lotus: ‘longer, bigger, crazier’, adding that he is ‘super excited about the content of this season’. Us too.

Jennifer Coolidge in The White Lotus season 1

Is There A Trailer?

Not yet, but watch this space for updates.

Release Date

We don’t have confirmation yet, but 2025 is looking likely. The new series was previously delayed due to the Hollywood writers’ strike – but, as mentioned, filming is now set to commence this February in Thailand. 

Where To Stream The White Lotus

While we still have a little longer to wait until the arrival of season 3, you can catch up on the first two seasons of The White Lotus on Sky in the UK and on HBO Max in the US.

Featured image: The Late Late Show With James Corden © 2019 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved