In recent years, France has really made a huge effort to open up for international film and television productions. President Macron even gives interviews about the importance of shows like Emily In Paris, filmed in Paris and employing French actors and crew. Well, apparently the French government and French entertainment industry has welcomed The White Lotus with open arms. Not only that, French power brokers actually personally appealed to Mike White to set one season in the Côte d’Azur. White and the White Lotus have already been filming in France for the past month, and it was during the early weeks of the production when Helena Bonham Carter exited the show and my nemesis Laura Dern was brought in as HBC’s replacement. Well, Variety has a big exclusive about all of this and more. Some highlights:

The massive, $120 million production: It’s not the first time the Cannes Film Festival has been filmed — “Call My Agent,” for instance, shot inside the Palais des Festivals. But it’s never been leveraged so grandly. With a budget of around $120 million, Season 4 is shaping up to be the most ambitious shoot ever to use the festival as its central setting. Production will span roughly seven months and take place across the French Riviera and Paris, with interiors shot at the Château de la Messardière (rebranded White Lotus du Cap), the Hôtel Martinez (White Lotus Cannes) and the Hôtel Lutetia in Paris.

French actors were very interested in the show: “I waited in line and it was packed — all ages,” says one snack bar worker in Saint-Tropez, who landed a role as a security guard after hearing about the show through a Facebook post that his mother sent him. Two of his friends also picked up roles as extras. Within the industry, too, the “White Lotus” buzz is real. French actors turned out in force to audition, with Vincent Cassel — who’s starred in U.S. productions from “Black Swan” to “Ocean’s Twelve” — landing the role of the hotel manager. The French cast also includes Nadia Tereszkiewicz and Laura Smet, who dropped out of a local TV project to join the production.

Helena Bonham Carter’s exit: White had written a washed-out star who is chasing a comeback, sources tell Variety. The role was originally set for Helena Bonham Carter, who exited the HBO production — after nearly a week on set — over “creative differences” involving White’s demand for a boisterous performance; within days, she was replaced by Laura Dern. (Dern is playing a character White is developing who will fill a similar place within the ensemble. Given Dern and White’s collaborations on the TV series “Enlightened” and the film “Year of the Dog,” it may be a more comfortable fit.)

French aloofness will be front & center: Speaking at Canneseries, Bernad recalled an encounter with a waiter that sealed the deal: “We went to dinner, and we had a really specific experience with a waiter and a maître d’, and it was the stereotype.” A show concerned with customer-service dynamics suddenly had a new element to play with: French aloofness. “It was a very funny moment. And I think that it suddenly unlocked what the show is and the dynamics of the show,” he said, adding, “We literally canceled all the other places we were going. We were like, OK, we’re shooting here.”

They’re shooting in and around the Cannes Film Festival: While the Cannes Film Festival serves as what Bernad calls the “beating heart” of the story, the real action of production will begin once the Croisette empties out. Instead of shooting during the chaos of the actual event, the team will re-create Cannes in the days immediately after it wraps, using the Palais des Festivals, the red carpet and surrounding infrastructure to stage its own version of the festival. But given that Cannes’ 79th edition is devoid of blockbusters, whatever elements of “The White Lotus” make it into the fest may outshine the official competition. A small crew will capture some color throughout the festival, while White and members of his cast — which also includes Sandra Bernhard, Steve Coogan, Kumail Nanjiani and Rosie Perez — are expected to walk the red carpet at some point during the second week as guests.

The city of Cannes really wanted The White Lotus: For Cannes, the production represents a massive get. After losing out when Season 2 ultimately shot in Sicily, the city mounted a coordinated effort — helped by Canneseries artistic director Albin Lewi — to bring the show to the region. “They offered them a very tailored setup. All the doors were opened,” Lewi says. City officials also streamlined logistics typically associated with France’s bureaucracy. The production will shoot in Cannes for around 50 days, generating an estimated 17,000 hotel nights. “When a series shoots for 40 or 50 days, it’s not just about showcasing a location — it’s about bringing the city to life,” says deputy mayor Sophie Mouysset.

[From Variety]

I love all the stuff about the French bureaucrats and politicians bending over backwards to get The White Lotus to come. They saw the White Lotus tourism boost for other seasons too and they wanted some of the action. I actually think Vincent Cassel is going to nail it as the “hotel manager,” usually one of the juicier roles of the series. But I can’t get past the Laura Dern of it all. To be fair, I think Helena would have sucked in an “actor desperate for a comeback” type of role as well. But Dern is going to overact and scream all of her lines and suck the life out of it with her theatrics. You know who would have nailed that kind of role? Parker Posey. I’m glad White used Posey last season though, she was amazing as that certain kind of close-minded, pill-popping Southern mom.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.