If 'The White Lotus' thrives on the absurdities of wealth, La Messardière seems like an inspired playground. Photos: La Messardière/Instagram
The White Lotus has never pretended to be subtle about its love affair with obscene luxury.
From Hawaii’s manicured paradise to Sicily’s sun-drenched decadence and Thailand’s spiritual gloss, Mike White’s savage little soap about the rich misbehaving abroad has treated location almost like a lead character.
So it feels perfectly on brand that Season Four is heading somewhere equally glossy, sun-soaked and faintly ridiculous: the French Riviera.
According to Variety, the upcoming season will shoot at the Chateau de La Messardiere in Saint-Tropez — a 19th-century palace turned ultra-luxury hotel, perched across 32 acres of parasol pines, cypress trees and jasmine.
It’s part of the Airelles Collection, owned by Stephane Courbit, the founder and chairman of Banijay Group, the reality TV empire behind shows like Survivor and Peaky Blinders. HBO, for now, is keeping politely silent.
If The White Lotus thrives on the absurdities of wealth, La Messardière seems like an inspired playground. Suites reportedly start at around US$3,000 (RM12,175) a night and climb well past US$8,000 (RM32,468), which is the kind of pricing that makes the show’s usual spiritual crises and marital breakdowns feel almost quaint.
Guests can expect a spa, restaurants, sports activities, a children’s camp, and beach access via Rolls-Royce transfer — because apparently walking to the sea is for the spiritually underfunded. One can already imagine the show’s next batch of emotionally bankrupt holidaymakers gliding into existential meltdown while being chauffeured through paradise.
Filming is expected to begin at the end of April and continue through October, though, true to White’s meticulous world-building, the season won’t be confined to a single property.
The château will be one of several locations hosting production, with the story unfolding across the Riviera and spilling into at least one Paris hotel.
The franchise has always stitched together multiple venues to create its illusion of a self-contained resort universe, a kind of curated fantasy of privilege that’s polished just enough to make the rot underneath more delicious.
The plot, naturally, remains under lock and key, beyond HBO’s familiar promise that it will once again follow a group of guests and employees over the course of a week.
Still, there’s a delicious rumour floating around: the Cannes Film Festival may feature in the storyline. Given that filming overlaps with the festival’s May dates, it’s not hard to imagine a White Lotus season marinating in celebrity culture, status anxiety, and the performative glamour of the global film industry.
Casting is already underway, with a significant number of French actors reportedly auditioning. Alexander Ludwig and AJ Michalka have been announced as the first new additions, while the show continues its tradition of selectively resurrecting familiar faces.
So far, only Jennifer Coolidge (the late, chaotic Tanya), Natasha Rothwell, and Jon Gries have appeared across multiple seasons.
Season Three, set in Thailand, pulled in eight acting Emmy nominations and featured an ensemble that included Walton Goggins, Michelle Monaghan, Carrie Coon, Parker Posey and Sam Rockwell, among others. – Dawn/Asia News Network
