For months, people have speculated about where the next season of The White Lotus will take place. Season 1 was set in Hawaii, Season 2 was Sicily, Season 3 was Thailand. I loved the second and third seasons and I hoped for another exciting venue. Weirdly, almost all of the speculation for Season 4 has been centered on France. We heard that Mike White’s team were scouting locals in the French Riviera AND Paris. Well, it looks like it’s absolutely going to happen. But Season 4’s murder won’t take place at a Four Seasons-masquerading-as-a-White Lotus. Apparently, White and HBO no longer have any sort of deal with the Four Seasons chain.

While HBO hasn’t yet officially confirmed that Season 4 of “The White Lotus” will shoot in France, Variety has learned that the hit Mike White anthology will indeed next shoot in the country and has even been actively scouting swank locations in two iconic locations: Paris and the French Riviera.

Similar to Season 3 — which shot mainly on the island of Koh Samui with some episodes in Bangkok, where Rick Hatchett (Walton Goggins) prepares a doomed revenge plan — the story of Season 4 will likely unfold mostly in the South of France, with a subplot in Paris. At this point, no hotels have been locked for Season 4, which is still in development and won’t shoot until next year, according to sources.

Although the last three seasons have taken place at Four Seasons properties across Hawaii, Sicily and Thailand, Season 4 will go a different route as HBO hasn’t renewed its marketing partnership with Four Seasons hotel chain.

The luxury hotels that have been visited in Paris include the iconic Le Lutetia, a five-star property on the Left Bank of the Seine, in the chic neighborhood of Saint-Germain des Pres. Built in 1910, Le Lutetia (now part of the Mandarin Oriental chain), was a second home to a number of iconic figures throughout history, including Charlie Chaplin, Ernest Hemingway, Pablo Picasso and Josephine Baker. The other Parisian palace that’s been considered for Season 4 is the Ritz Paris, another five-star hotel which opened its doors in 1898 and was a favorite hangout spot for the likes of Coco Chanel, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Marcel Proust.

[From Variety]

A few thoughts and comments… my issue with the South of France is that it already has the (bad) reputation of a celebrity hangout with lots of drugs, drinking and crimes. It will feel so much less scandalous and just… oh, a normal Sunday in Antibes. Now, I imagine President Macron will love this and he will become the biggest cheerleader for HBO and The White Lotus – Macron is very proud of how many American/international productions are now filming in France, and he’s especially jazzed about Emily In Paris (only the next season is set in Rome by the look of it). I wonder if Macron is giving HBO some kind of tax incentive if they make one of the signature shows in France. My last thought: which American actors speak French? The first one to come to mind is Bradley Cooper, who (imo) would actually be a good choice for TWL. I know the show is supposed to show typical American arrogance abroad, but it would be cute to have at least one American actor who can speak French.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.