According to Deadline, HBO has officially confirmed that Oscar-winning Sir Ben Kingsley (Gandhi, Schindler’s List) and industry standout Max Minghella (Spiral, Babylon) will be joining the already talented cast of The White Lotus season four. HBO has also announced that the Finnish actor Pekka Strang (The Handmaid’s Tale, The Social Network) will be joining them at the Cannes Festival as filming bounces between the palatial Hôtel Martinez on the Croisette and the hilltop Airelles Château de la Messardière.
Filming for season four of Mike White’s (Despicable Me 4, School of Hard Rock) hit series has already begun and will take place on location during the Cannes Festival, currently in progress. The setting for the new season is that White will be taking the series from its original location to the French Riviera. Locations confirmed include Cannes, St. Tropez, and Monaco. There are also additional scenes that are being planned for Paris. The plot will be of two rival film teams, each staying at the competing luxury hotel locations mentioned. These competitions seem to be the theme of the new season, as the series has broken away from its single luxury hotel format, signaling that it is open to business for any of the best hotels in the world who might want to compete for its audience and prestige.
The shake-up of the cast dynamics tells that White doesn’t want to adhere to the clueless American tourist vibe of the previous seasons. He is looking to project a cast of characters who are International and powerful. With Kingsley’s ability to play both terrifyingly elite characters and hilariously eccentric ones at the same time, he is a likely candidate for the old-world authority you might find on the Hilltop at Château de la Messardière. Minghella brings that vibe that he has the ambition to be in the room with the elites, but never does fit in. This will make a perfect fit for the new money vibe of the beachside Hôtel Martinez.