Signs of an Asian setting for the third installment of HBO’s critically acclaimed anthology series “The White Lotus” are getting stronger following the recent season finale.
The show, set in the fictitious global resort brand of the same name, wrapped its steamy second season in Sicily over the weekend. An “Unpacking” clip at the end of Episode 7 has creator Mike White hinting at an Asian getaway.
“The first season kind of highlighted money, and then the second season is sex,” said White, who bagged a trio of Emmys for the inaugural season set in Hawaii.
“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 has already floated the idea of an Asian White Lotus resort. Before Season 2 premiered, he told Deadline: “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.”
The creator also specifically mentioned Japan while talking about Jennifer Coolidge’s character Tanya McQuoid, who, dies after having just escaped from a murderous plot in Season 2’s twisted finale.
“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,” White said. “Like, maybe you can’t go to Japan without Jennifer, either.”
Another potential location came from the show itself. As Ethan (Will Sharpe), Harper (Aubrey Plaza), Cameron (Theo James) and Daphne (Meghann Fahy) enjoy a last, awkward dinner in the Season 2 finale, Daphne declares during a toast: “Next year, the Maldives!”
As for who’s returning for Season 3, White cited one character who could dig into Tanya’s death.
“It’s possible that Portia (Tanya’s assistant, played by Haley Lu Richardson) is scared enough to just leave it alone, but the fact that all of those guys die on the boat, it feels like there’s gotta be somebody who’s gonna track it down to Greg (Jon Gries). But maybe you’ll have to wait to find out what happens,” he said.
