The White Lotus continues to make headlines in 2026, with its highly-anticipated fourth season officially under development. And from viral fan theories to the confirmed filming locations, the upcoming instalment is all anyone can talk about.
Season four is set to take place in Saint Tropez, France, with 19th century castle turned five star hotel, Château de la Messardière, selected as the primary filming location.
And with a new line-up of hotel guests set to stay at the ‘White Lotus Hotel’, details around the season four cast have been going viral.
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Philomena star Steve Coogan was confirmed to be joining the HBO series earlier this month, alongside The Hunger Games actor Alexander Ludwig, Super 8‘s AJ Michalka and Hollywood newcomer, Caleb Jonte Edwards.
And with reports that Harry Potter star Helena Bonham Carter and Sharp Objects actor Chris Messina are also close to signing onto the project, the season four cast is promising to be one for the ages.
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It was talk of returning cast members that made headlines this week, with it widely believed that show creators will bring back a former White Lotus star, as they have in previous seasons.
And while Jon Gries (Greg Hunt) and Natasha Rothwell (Belinda Lindsey) are considered to be the most likely, appearing across multiple seasons already, several White Lotus stars have thrown their hats into the ring.
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Most recently, this has included Haley Lu Richardson, who starred as Portia in The White Lotus season two. And in a 2026 interview with Deadline, the 30-year-old weighed in on the season four casting, revealing that every former cast member would be keen to return.
“I just think that’s a hilarious question,” Richardson explained when asked if she would be open to returning to the HBO series. “People are like, ‘Would you do it if they asked you back?’ Obviously, I don’t think there’s a single one of us that probably wouldn’t.”
“Mike is a genius. I really trust him,” she continued, adding: “Portia has her moments, but I have empathy for her, and I’d play her again.”
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This comes after similar comments by Meghann Fahy (season two’s Daphne Sullivan), who revealed that she would return “in a heartbeat”, calling it “the easiest yes in the world.”
So too did Alexandra Daddario (season one’s Rachel Patton), confirming to ELLE that she was open to returning to the project “if Mike had inspiration to see what Rachel was up to”.
“That’s the beautiful thing about all of his characters – the ones that don’t die – you want to see [what happens to them],” Daddario explained. “Their stories are so fascinating. You could have a [spinoff] show about each character.”
There is not yet a release date for The White Lotus season four, but we will continue to update this story.