The White Lotus in Cannes

The White Lotus season four is currently in production in the South of France, Cannes to be exact. Right after the actual festival wrapped this past weekend, taking advantage of the setup at the Palais with the red carpet running up the steps.

As we know by now after three seasons, The White Lotus is always set at a resort hotel – in Hawaii, in Sicily, in Thailand and now it’s the famed Hôtel Martinez on the Croisette, reportedly named “White Lotus Cannes” for Mike White’s series. There’s usually a theme for every season. In the simplest terms, season one was about class differences, season two was sexual politics, season three was self-improvement and religion, broadly. Season four… will be about celebrity? Celebrity fixation? Influencers?

Hôtel Martinez has a rich history of celebrity patronage. I’ve been there several times as an entertainment reporter for interviews and the whole experience, and from the moment you approach the entrance, and all the fans and photographers waiting outside, to stars coming and going and lingering in the lobby, to the various lounges, and even the elevator that’s impossible to ride without running into someone famous (I once stood shoulder to shoulder with Gong Li in the elevator at the Martinez and nearly lost my mind; also Halle Berry), it is, especially during the festival, a non-stop movie star encounter. So this new season of The White Lotus lines up exactly with my personal and professional interest. I can’t wait to see what Mike White does with this setting.

Plot details, as usual, remain closely guarded but given where it is, and WHEN it is, we can assume with confidence that The White Lotus S4 will be happening during the Cannes Film Festival. And since there’s always a murder, or murders, I wonder if the victim is a fictional celebrity.

Here are Laura Dern and Chris Messina, along with other cast members, like Ari Graynor, filming a scene at the Palais. Laura stepped in for Helena Bonham Carter who left over creative differences. Rumour is the role is a movie star on the wane who’s trying to mount a comeback, and Mike White wanted her performance to be more over-the-top. The part is supposedly being rewritten in real time for Laura who previously was the voice of Michael Imperioli’s wife in season two. This tracks, since Michael was a movie producer in that season of the show. Perhaps he’ll make a cameo, in voice or in person.

The White Lotus season four is expected to be released next year… and given where it takes place, obviously a Cannes premiere, at the festival in 2027, makes the most sense. And while Cannes is typically known for films, it’s not like they haven’t done premieres for television series before. The Weeknd and Sam Levinson’s (widely-panned) The Idol premiered there three years ago, also an HBO show. So there’s more than enough precedent.