See First Look at White Lotus Season 4 Filming at Cannes Film Festival

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Looks like The White Lotus is getting extra meta.

We’re learning more about season four of the HBO show, and it seems to be set against the backdrop of the Cannes Film Festival in France, focusing on the lives of celebrities who attend.

Laura Dern, who recently replaced Helena Bonham Carter in the upcoming film, was seen filming at the Cannes Film Festival on May 26th. She was joined by her co-stars Chris Messina, Marissa Long, and Charlie Hall.

Details about the new season are still scarce, but it looked like Laura Dern was playing a celebrity at a film festival. Photos showed her with her on-screen family – Danny Messina and her child actors – all dressed up for the event and walking the red carpet.

Also, Charlie Day, a contestant on Survivor and announced last week to appear in a cameo role this season, was seen near Dern and the other actors on the steps of the building.

I was so excited to see AJ Michalka and Chloe Bennet filming today! They both looked amazing in their formal outfits, and I spotted them throughout the day shooting scenes on the stairs of the film festival. It was really cool to watch them work!

Things are really looking up with filming happening in France, but I was totally shocked last month when HBO announced Helena Bonham Carter was leaving the show! It’s a real blow, but I’m still hoping for the best.

An HBO spokesperson told TopMob News on April 24th that a character created for Helena Bonham Carter in the fourth season of The White Lotus didn’t work out during filming. The role is now being rewritten and will be played by a different actress in the coming weeks.

The representative shared that Mike, his team, and everyone at the network were disappointed to see their collaboration with the two-time Oscar nominee end, but they all continue to be big fans and hope to work with her again in the future.

For everything we know so far about The White Lotus season four, keep reading… 

HBO announced in January 2025 that The White Lotus will return for a fourth season. The renewal came several weeks before the third season even aired, and followed a pitch from the show’s creator, Mike White, outlining more stories of wealth, mystery, and trouble.

HBO CEO Casey Bloys stated in November that if Mike wants to continue the show for a fourth season, it will happen.

Production on season four kicked off in April 2026.

HBO announced in December that filming would take place in France, and reports in January confirmed the show would be primarily shot at the Château de la Messardière in Saint-Tropez – a beautifully restored 19th-century palace now operating as a luxury hotel.

Before the news was officially announced, actress Parker Posey, who previously appeared in the series, told TopMob News that the cast of The White Lotus was planning to film in France.

White and fellow producers had been dropping hints, too.

Okay, so I was reading Deadline, and Francesca Orsi from HBO just hinted at where they might film the next season! She said they’re doing location scouting in the next few weeks, which means we’ll find out soon, but she’s being so mysterious! She wouldn’t say where exactly, but she practically confirmed it’ll be somewhere in Europe! I’m already trying to figure out where… it HAS to be somewhere amazing!

Chances, she emphasized.

Orsi explained that while they’ve discussed potential filming locations in a few countries, they haven’t started scouting those places yet, so there’s no news to share at this time.

After the season three finale aired on April 6th, White told HBO he wanted to move away from the show’s previously intense and dramatic style – which he described as ‘crashing waves against rocks’ – in the next season.

“But,” he added, “there’s always room for more murders at the White Lotus hotels.”

During the Vivid Festival in Sydney in June 2023, White shared that Australia is a place he’s always dreamed of visiting.

He said it sounded like a lot of fun, noting the incredible talent and obvious beauty made it seem like a perfect fit.

Okay, I’m seriously losing it! First, they announced Alexander Ludwig – yes, the Alexander Ludwig from The Hunger Games – was joining the cast, and then AJ Michalka from Aly & AJ! I nearly fainted. But it didn’t stop there! Chris Messina, Marissa Long, Steve Coogan, Caleb Jonte Edwards, Chloe Bennet, Max Greenfield, Charlie Hall, Kumail Nanjiani, and Jarrad Paul are all going to be in it too! This cast is absolutely insane, I can’t even handle it!

 

HBO initially announced in January 2026 that Helena Bonham Carter would join season four, but shortly after filming started, they confirmed she was leaving the show and her character’s storyline would be changed.

Okay, so I’m completely obsessed with The White Lotus, obviously. And I was losing it when I heard they were adding Helena Bonham Carter! But then… disaster. Apparently, when they actually started filming season four, the character Mike White wrote for her just… didn’t work. Like, at all. HBO actually told TopMob News that the role just didn’t fit, so they’re completely rewriting it and finding someone else to play it! I’m devastated, but also… intrigued? Hopefully, whoever they recast will be amazing, but honestly, it’s just not the same without Helena!

HBO, along with the show’s creators and Mike White, expressed their disappointment about not being able to continue working with the actress. They remain big fans and hope to collaborate with her on a future project.

The next week, HBO announced that Laura Dern would replace Carter.

Cristóbal Tapia de Veer, the Emmy-winning composer who created the music for The White Lotus, won’t be returning for the fourth season. He says this is due to creative differences with the show’s creator, Mike White, which began during the first season.

Tapia de Veer explained to the New York Times that a few months prior, he’d informed the team he wouldn’t be returning. He deliberately waited to tell Mike Flanagan, wanting to deliver the news as a surprise at the very end of the project. (Flanagan did eventually find out before the season concluded, Tapia de Veer added.)

Tapia de Veer explained that while the memorable theme music for the first season (which also opened the second) ultimately worked well – “You see it afterward, and it’s a success” – creating it was difficult because White initially didn’t want a theme song.

Okay, so get this – apparently, the showrunner wasn’t even asked to change the opening sequence for season three! He just…did it. And honestly, we, the fans, were not happy. It was a total shock and everyone was up in arms about it, seriously!

After the change was made public, I was contacted by media outlets like TMZ, and even reporters from England and France, all wanting a comment. The reaction was incredibly strong – people were really upset about the altered theme song. I suggested to the producer that we release the full, original version, with the ‘ooh-loo-loo-loos,’ because I thought fans would be shocked to discover that’s where it was heading all along. He agreed, but ultimately, Mike decided against it – he didn’t think it was a good idea.

The composer explained that they’d already had what felt like their final argument at that time, and because of it, the other person was refusing everything.

During an appearance on The Howard Stern Show on April 8th, White criticized Tapia de Veer’s decision to publicly complain, calling it a disrespectful act.

I really don’t understand what went wrong,” White explained. “Now I’m seeing interviews where he’s trying to control the narrative about why he left the show, and it just seems like he didn’t have much respect for me.

The producer explained they never actually had a real conflict. He said people thought they were feuding, but it was mostly just him offering feedback.

According to White, their working relationship was successful for the first two seasons because they freely exchanged ideas. However, by the third season, Tapia de Veer no longer wanted to collaborate – he didn’t want White’s input or to participate in recording sessions with him.

And, White added, “He’s definitely making a big deal out of just a creative difference.”

Jennifer Coolidge was happily surprised that Jon Gries, who previously played both Tanya’s love interests – the enigmatic Greg in season one and her husband in season two – was willing to return for season three as the villainous widower, Gary. However, Gries has indicated that, to his knowledge, his character’s romantic storyline is finished.

However, that’s what he thought last time.

He told The Hollywood Reporter that he doesn’t believe he’ll return to the show, but isn’t certain. After the third season concluded with Gary’s secret still hidden, he added, “Every time I finish working on the show, I assume that’s the last time.”

Despite the tempting idea of a completely fresh cast each season – as White jokingly told The New Yorker, imagining being able to ‘burn down the house and start building again’ – the show has demonstrated that as long as a character isn’t actually killed off…

Mike White is full of surprises, and you can never really guess what he’ll do next,” said actor Nicholas Braun to The Hollywood Reporter. “I didn’t expect to be back for season two, or season three for that matter. He always keeps things unexpected. I’d definitely be interested in returning, but I’m not sure if my character, Greg, has finished his story arc yet.”

Unless the show creates a prequel story or explores alternate universes, there’s no realistic way for Jennifer Coolidge’s character, Tanya, to return—except perhaps in a flashback or dream. Fans have still held out hope for her return ever since she tragically fell from a yacht in the season two finale, where it was revealed she was the body discovered at the beginning of the season, despite being the only character to return from season one.

White has acknowledged feeling the loss of Coolidge, but understands why he chose to eliminate Tanya, despite her good intentions and naiveté, as well as her immense wealth.

Coolidge described White as someone who stands by his choices, speaking on TopMob News in January 2023 after the season finale. She said he’s a great friend, but he’d clearly decided how he wanted the story to end. He was aiming for a grand, dramatic conclusion to The White Lotus 2, and that meant Tanya had to be sacrificed.

She confirmed to The New Yorker that she wouldn’t be returning for the third season, filmed in Thailand, stating, “I don’t think Tanya’s ever coming back, and I’ve accepted that.”

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2026-05-27 05:18