Ever since the third season of HBO's The White Lotus came to its grisly end, our brains have been whirring with ideas around who might be cast in season four, and which luxury location they'll be destined for next. Who will survive this new season? Will evil Greg be there? Who from previous seasons' casts will make their surprise return? And most importantly, what will they all be wearing?
While we've known for a while now that season four will see us transported to the French Riviera's Château de la Messardière, but now we know exactly who will be vacaying on the stunning property.
Here's everything we know so far about the new season...
Filming is underway at Cannes Film Festival
We've known the iconic film festival would form part of the season's plot point, but now we have proof. Chris Messina, Marissa Long and Laura Dern were spotted in character — and judging from their glam, they're playing the cast of a film making its debut. Very meta.
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Laura Dern has replaced Helena Bonham Carter
After only a few days of filming season four in the Côte d'Azur, British actress Helena Bonham Carter abruptly dropped out of the show's fourth season.
A producer for The White Lotus told media: “With filming just underway on season four of The White Lotus, it had become apparent that the character which Mike White created for Helena Bonham Carter did not align once on set. The role has subsequently been rethought, is being rewritten and will be recast in the coming weeks. HBO, the producers and Mike White are saddened that they won’t get to work with her, but remain ardent fans and very much hope to work with the legendary actress on another project soon.”
And actually, it didn't take weeks to recast the role, with none other than Laura Dern coming in to save the day. If you've been playing close attention, you'll know this isn't the first time Dern has entered the White Lotus universe. She made a voice cameo in season two, playing Abby, the estranged wife of Dominic. It's not clear whether she'll be picking up this character or trying something new, but word on the street is that her role is central to the storyline.
What will it be about?
It's official: the fourth season will incorporate Cannes Film Festival as part of its storyline.
“The fourth season will follow a new group of White Lotus hotel guests and employees over the span of a week, taking place during the Cannes Film Festival,” the official synopsis reads.
Filming is also confirmed to be underway on the French riviera, which is fitting, because Cannes Film Festival is slated to run from 13 - 26 May in 2026.
In an 'After the Episode' segment following the season 3 finale in April last year, White himself commented that: “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.”
Who is confirmed in the cast?
We've been drip-fed casting announcements every month for the last year or so, and to keep things simple, we've got all the confirmed cast below:
- Heather Graham
- Rosie Perez
- Ben Schnetzer
- Tobias Santelmann
- Frida Gustavsson
- Laura Smet
- Max Greenfield
- Kumail Nanjiani
- Chloe Bennet
- Charlie Hall
- Jarrad Paul
- Vincent Cassel
- Corentin Fila
- Nadia Tereszkiewicz
- Ari Graynor
- Dylan Ennis
- Marissa Long
- Chris Messina
- Sandra Bernhard
- Helena Bonham Carter
- Steve Coogan
- Caleb Jonte Edwards
- Alexander Ludwig
- AJ Michalka
- Ben Kingsley
- Max Minghella
- Pekka Strang
As for Greg (or is it Gary now?) aka Jon Gries making another season return – the jury is still out. Gries himself told The Hollywood Reporter after season three premiered: "I don’t think [I'm coming back], but I don’t know so. All I can say is, every time I leave, I assume it’s over."
"There’s no trying to predict anything Mike White does," Gries continued. "I never presumed I’d be in season two. Same for season three. Everything he does has an element of surprise to it. Yes, I would love to come back. But does the book on Greg seem like it’s complete? I can’t tell you."
We're also still hopeful that White's longtime friend Laura Dern might make an appearance this season (though real fans of The White Lotus know that Dern actually lent her voice to a character in series two: she played Abby Di Grasso, the estranged wife of White Lotus guest Dominic Di Grasso on the phone. It's exactly the kind of full-circle Easter Egg moment we think White might pull this season.
Where is The White Lotus season 4 set?
Season 4 is confirmed to be set in the French Riviera, largely set at the Château de la Messardière in Saint-Tropez, France. The location was confirmed by creator Mike White in an interview with Variety on 9 January 2026.
Variety also confirmed that "As with other seasons, this one will not shoot entirely in a single property as White is meticulous about crafting unique backdrops that combine different venues. As such, the Château de La Messardière is one of several places that will host the HBO production." There has been speculation about a pit-stop in Paris during this season too.
It's also been confirmed that the Hôtel Martinez will be used as the White Lotus Cannes. There will reportedly be filming taking place in St. Tropez, Monaco and Paris, but the main storyline will take place in the Côte d’Azur.
The move marks the show's second European destination after season 2's Sicilian romp at the Four Seasons San Domenico Palace, Taormina.
What do we know about the hotel?
The palace-turned-luxury hotel is perched on 32 acres of parasol pines, cypress trees, and sweet-smelling jasmine, and looks straight out over the bay of Saint-Tropez. It’s part of the Airelles Collection today, but its story starts in the 19th century, when a cognac merchant named Gabriel Dupuy d’Angeac built it as a lavish wedding gift for his daughter, Louise.
After her husband passed away, Louise reinvented the château in the 1920s, turning it into a hotel that quickly became a magnet for wealthy Parisians in search of sun-soaked Mediterranean glamour. The years weren’t always kind to the property – it eventually slipped into disrepair – but a major restoration in 1989 brought it back to life, restoring its reputation as one of the Côte d’Azur’s most exclusive hideaways.
These days, rooms go for anywhere between $3,000 and $8,000 a night, and that price tag comes with plenty of perks: a luxe spa, multiple restaurants, sports facilities, and even private beach access – complete with a Rolls-Royce transfer.
When will filming start?
White confirmed to Variety that filming will begin at the end of April 2026, continuing through October 2026.
When will it be released?
Doing some quick maths here – if filming is scheduled to be finished in October of this year, and with the need for at least a few months of post-production by HBO, we're thinking season 4 is most likely slated for a 2027 release at the earliest.
Production on season 3 lasted for close to a year, meaning it might not wrap until April 2027, with a potential mid-2027 release date on HBO Max.
We'll keep you updated as we hear official word.
Feature image via Instagram.
