The cast of the popular program relocated from Hawaii to Sicily's northeast coast for the second season, but where will season three be shot?
The White Lotus evolved from a standalone miniseries into a franchise after becoming one of the blockbuster successes of the 2021 lockdown and earning 10 Emmy Awards. Season one used farce, dark humor, and just enough closely observed sympathy to mock the more problematic facets of luxury travel by depicting a highly exciting week at the opulent Hawaiian resort of the same name, where glossily wealthy tourists meet frazzled hotel workers. It had a unique edge that was partially fueled by the circumstances of its creation and shot in a single location under stringent covid regulations, the promise of a new season, which is already upon us, is nevertheless to be cherished.
Only Jennifer Coolidge and Jon Gries, who played the emotionally incompetent Tanya and her lover (now husband), Greg, returned from the main cast, ensuring that the series proceeded on the thinnest of threads. They were joined by a cast that was much more spectacular than the previous time around, including Tom Hollander, Michael Imperioli from The Sopranos, F Murray Abraham from Homeland, and Aubrey Plaza from Parks and Recreation (The Night Manager, Pirates of the Caribbean).
Showrunner Mike White, well known for developing School of Rock and TV's Enlightened, is in charge. He expresses astonishment that the series was renewed: There was never any concept that we would ever do another season because, as he said to Entertainment Weekly, "I always looked at it as an experimental project."
Even more astonishing is the fact that like its holiday-from-hell predecessor, the setting for season two is at Four Seasons. White acknowledged after season one that the hotel chain "were pleased for the business. But to some extent, they probably missed the fact that this is now the emblem of the inn from hell. By setting up shop in Sicily for season two, the producers demonstrated that there is no such thing as negative publicity. Here is our introduction to the idyllic surroundings featured in each series, along with a preview of the cast's third season.
Where was The White Lotus' first season shot?
Wailea's Four Seasons Resort Maui
The first season's flawless ensemble included Jennifer Coolidge, Connie Britton of Nashville fame, and the flawless Murray Bartlett as the complex hotel manager Armond, but the show's creator, writer, and director Mike White was the star.
When HBO requested White to come up with a show that could be produced under COVID standards, the two came together. With only one place to choose from, his mind drifted to his Hawaii-based boyhood vacations. He couldn't think of more than one place, but he remembered his Hawaii-based childhood vacations. He loved the location so much that he purchased a home in Hanalei, Kauai. The initial reaction is, "It's so gorgeous! He said to The New Yorker, "I'm in touch with nature and it's soothing. "You realize that it's on the shoulders of folks who have a troubled past with people like myself," The White Lotus was the outcome, which was hastily scripted in August 2020 and leisurely shot from October to December with cast and crew confined at the resort for the whole time.
Four Seasons Hotel in Hawaii's Maui
The Four Seasons Resort Maui in Wailea, which first opened in 1990, effortlessly embodies the tropes of a tropical paradise; a few of the suites shown in the show can be booked for up to $26,000 per night. Its 15 acres also include three pools, three restaurants, including Wolfgang Puck's Spago, three golf courses, a spa, and an art museum in addition to the 380 guest rooms and suites. Amazingly, White and his team were allowed practically unrestricted access to everything, including the hotel's entrance and lobby, restaurants, a spa, and even the neighboring Wailea Beach.
The suites, which are crucial to the drama, are meticulously furnished to represent their residents while adhering to rigid guidelines established by the resort. As production designer Laura Fox said to Architectural Digest: "They're gorgeous spaces, but not to shoot in. They were not permitted to paint the rooms, but they could modify the furnishings, beds, and curtains. My task, in my opinion, was to come up with a new hotel that was rich, quirky, and imperfect like the individuals.
Maui's Wailea Beach in Hawaii
One of the resort's Elite Oceanfront Suites, The Palm Suite serves as the home away from home for newlyweds Shane (Jake Lacy) and Rachel (Alexandra Daddario). It has been given what Fox dubbed an "anti-beach" makeover with antique greens, velvet, and hanging lights. The Pineapple honeymoon suite at the White Lotus is the Lokelani Presidential Suite, which is the hotel's (and Hawaii's) biggest suite at 4,500 square feet, with three bedrooms, five baths, and two living spaces. With, of course, pineapple themes, this was given a color scheme of yellow, green, and brown.
The Hibiscus Suite was made in one of the Oceanfront Prime Suites for volatile Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge), who arrives carrying her mother's ashes in a plastic bag. Its pinks and reds were specifically chosen to conflict with Tanya's love of bold designs in her clothing. The Maile Presidential Suite was then converted into the Tradewinds Suite for the Mossbacher family, led by tech executive Nicole (Britton), with a variety of blues and extremely 1970s Hawaiian art. The Mossbacher children sleep in the living room in the Tradewinds episode of the television series, while the Maile suite, the second-largest at the Four Seasons Maui, has three bedrooms, four bathrooms, and a complete sauna.
Beach in Wailea
Outside of the lodgings and dining establishments, water is important. Beach sequences starring Fred Hechinger's Quinn Mossbacher were filmed at Wailea Beach, which is a short distance from the hotel in the movie. When it came to the swimming pools, however, only two of the three were in use, leaving the family-friendly Waterfall Pool in the backdrop. We spend a lot of time in the Serenity Pool, where Quinn can be seen wading to the swim-up bar while holding his phone and console at arm's length like priceless artifacts, Shane and Rachel rent a cabana, and the Mossbacher ladies read by the water. The Fountain Pool, which is located in the middle of the property, is where Quinn and his father take their dive training.
Where was The White Lotus' second season shot?
Taormina's San Domenico Palace, a Four Seasons hotel
The San Domenico Palace hotel in Taormina, Sicily, on the island's northeastern coast, is where much of the action takes place. It overlooks the Ionian Sea, Mount Etna, and an old amphitheater that the Romans constructed in the Greek style, and is perched high on the cliffs a little distance inland. Along with being close to the Isola Bella natural reserve and the still-active Etna volcano, the town is well-known for its medieval architecture, which helped make it a stop on the 19th-century aristocratic Grand Tour.
Sicily's Cefalu
The San Domenico, which was constructed on the site of a 15th-century monastery and includes several medieval elements, is almost as well-known. Oscar Wilde, Audrey Hepburn, and Edward VII were guests at the hotel when it first opened with the installation of a Grand Hotel Wing in 1896, and its renown has not diminished even after it is renovated and joined the Four Seasons Group in 2021. It has 111 rooms, including suites and specialty suites, a spa, the fine-dining Principe Cerami and pool-terrace eatery Anciovi, as well as courtyards and gardens from the time of the monks and an outdoor infinity pool that gets a lot of screen time in The White Lotus.
Sicily's Noto
Noto
This season permitted the characters to leave the hotel, unlike season one, which was shot under stringent Covid lockdown restrictions. This was an added benefit, as Mike White said to Entertainment Weekly: "I'm not going to complain about being at the Four Seasons Maui, but you do start to feel like it was a Hawaiian Shining. This season, it was fantastic to be able to showcase more of the city and some of Sicily's most well-known locations. The canvas expands significantly, which is a significant improvement.
It includes a journey to Noto in the southeast of the island in addition to a visit to Taormina and a boat cruise on the Ionian. This town appeared in the most recent big-screen rendition of Cyrano and is renowned for its baroque architecture, which dates to the early 18th century after a severe earthquake. For The White Lotus, it served as the setting for a day excursion where Harper (Aubrey Plaza) and Daphne (Meghann Fahy) spoke while admiring the church on Corso Vittorio Emanuele and the Palazzo Ducezio in the limestone square.
Sicily's Cefalu
Cefalù
The group of characters went on another excursion to this seaside village near Palermo on the north coast of the island. An iconic seaside resort is surrounded by streets and a Norman church, both of which have medieval architecture. The harbor served as the location for an outdoor showing of Kirk Douglas' Ulysses in the movie Cinema Paradiso. Although much of the series' shooting took place on the seaside near the Sea Palace Hotel on Lungomare Giuseppe Giardina, it is close to the Piazza Marina that is featured in The White Lotus.
Where will The White Lotus' third season of episodes be shot?
It's time to say goodbye to season two now that the visitors have left. However, HBO announced in mid-November 2022 that the popular anthology series will return for a third season, this is a "see you later" rather than a farewell.
While season three's specifics are still being kept under wraps, creator Mike White has provided just enough indications for viewers to piece together some of the puzzles.
The first season's central topic, in terms of overall content, was money, whereas the second season was sex. But the third will suddenly change course, focusing on "a sarcastic and hilarious look at death and Eastern religion and spirituality," according to White.
Season 2 of White Lotus
In terms of geography, he has also suggested a relocation to the East to fully develop the new plot. White said he believes "it'd be nice to maybe move to a whole new continent" in an interview with Deadline. It's been said, "You know, we did Europe, and maybe Asia, something wild like that, that would be great," with Australia being mentioned as a potential location.
The Maldives is mentioned in episode seven, even though the site of season three has not yet been determined. This is especially true when Daphne (Meghann Fahy) says, "Next year, the Maldives!" after Cameron (Theo James) proposes a toast to friendship.
Maldives
Given that past seasons were recorded in Four Seasons resorts in Taormina, Italy, and Maui, Hawaii, there is also a good probability that another Four Seasons facility will play a prominent role. So if Daphne's comments are true, perhaps the Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru resort in the Maldives will come into play?
No timetable has been established as of yet, but considering that season one debuted in the middle of 2021 and season two in the fall of 2022, a late 2023 release seems plausible.