HBO’s ‘The White Lotus’ may be heading to Japan for Season 3

HBO’s critically acclaimed series “The White Lotus” has been confirmed for a third season, with the next luxury hotel resort possibly set in Japan.

The potential location came straight from creator, director and writer Mike White, who dropped the hint while discussing cast member Jennifer Coolidge with Deadline last month.

“Jennifer is my friend and everybody loved her in the first season, and I was like, ‘I can’t go to Italy without Jennifer.’ And maybe that’s still the case,” White said. “Like, maybe you can’t go to Japan without Jennifer, either. There are so many fun actors we’ve worked with so far, so it’s just kind of like who’s available.”

HBO confirmed the series’ third season this week. The current season, set in the historic Italian city of Sicily — and starring Japanese English actor Will Sharpe — recently became the top title on HBO Max.

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“His [White’s] courage to explore the uncharted waters of the human psyche, paired with his signature irreverent humor and buoyant directing style, have us all dreaming of more vacation days at the resort we’ve come to adore,” said Francesca Orsi, executive vice president of HBO Programming and head of HBO Drama Series and Films. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to get the chance to collaborate on a third season together.”

Sharpe, who plays the reserved and increasingly mysterious Ethan Spiller — the second season’s lone Asian lead — is currently making headlines for sharing intense scenes with Theo James’ Cameron Sullivan in the latest episode. In a new interview with Variety, he explained his character’s depth like a veiled warning.

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“Some of the characters present with immediacy, and you have a relatively full sense of them early on. But Ethan is supposed to be hard to pin down, so they leave space for you to guess,” said Sharpe, who is best known for the British series “Flowers,” which he wrote, directed and starred in.

With only four episodes left in Season 2, whoever survives and returns for a possible Japan-set season of “White Lotus” can only be speculated. Coolidge, who won an Emmy for her supporting role as Tanya McQuoid in the inaugural Hawaiian season, will most likely reprise the character, but Sharpe’s Ethan and more Asian characters would surely spice up a posh Tokyo getaway.

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Featured Image via HBO