‘The White Lotus’ Crashes Cannes: Inside Season 4’s Storyline, Helena Bonham Carter’s Exit and a $120 Million Production

In Cannes, two rival film teams descend upon the Cannes Film Festival with movies in competition and something to prove. One camps out at a flashy, palatial hotel on the Croisette, while the other is ensconced in a luxurious hilltop hideaway.

That’s the premise of Season 4 of Mike White’s hit anthology series “The White Lotus,” which will deliver a satire on the film industry through its story of American stars coming to the French Riviera — and once again implicating the titular hotel chain.

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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.

Despite its scale, “The White Lotus” is keeping a low profile. One might expect the south of France to be turned upside down by the HBO production. But while Saint-Tropez’s Château de la Messardière has been fully closed, its 32 acres of gardens sealed off from the public, the gated entrance is guarded discreetly by two production workers in street clothes; the crew vehicles are parked at a nearby beach.

Not that it would likely be mobbed even if the production were more noticeable. The show streamed on Prime Video and Canal+ in France (before HBO Max launched its stand-alone service), and has yet to become nearly the phenomenon that it is stateside.

Across cafés, fancy shops and beach bars in Saint-Tropez, reactions ranged from “What’s ‘White Lotus’?” to “Who’s Mike White?” to “I don’t watch TV.” In Cannes, meanwhile, the Hotel Mârtinez manager declined to talk due to NDAs, but members of the staff didn’t seem aware that the production was coming to shoot — and didn’t know the show either.

That hasn’t stopped locals from trying to check in. Open casting calls for extras — essential for re-creating the busy festival — have drawn large crowds. And many are discovering the series for the first time in the process.

“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.

As in previous seasons (set in Hawaii, Sicily and Thailand), much of the show’s comedy will stem from cultural friction, which France promises to provide in abundance.

And that friction is only amplified by the glamour of Cannes. “When we located the show at the Cannes Film Festival specifically, this idea of fame popped up,” producer David Bernad, a close collaborator of White’s, said at the Canneseries festival in April. “Who has the world’s attention, who are the people that can grab the world’s attention, who are the plus-one in a relationship, who’s the person that has that power — and how that shapes a dynamic.”

Season 4 will track the characters as they navigate “the ups and downs of the festival and the pain of being here and the love and excitement of being here,” he said.

Among the guests White had invited to this “White Lotus” outing was a character who was no stranger to drama.

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.)

This is familiar territory for White: Before he cast Jennifer Coolidge as the breakout character in Seasons 1 and 2 of “The White Lotus,” he wrote her an unproduced star vehicle called “Saint Patsy” in which Coolidge was to play an actress receiving a lifetime achievement award at a film festival.

But Cannes isn’t just any film festival. 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.”

The culture-clash element fuels the season’s comedy, as sources tell Variety one scene that’s been shot depicts a star fighting with a receptionist to have room service delivered after hours.

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.

French directness has also left an impression on the production team. “It’s liberating,” Bernad said to journalists. “In Hollywood, people are like, ‘Yeah, great ey leave and they’re like, ‘Wow, this guy’s an idiot.’ So I feel like I have very honest relationships with the French crew.” He added, “It’s the best craft service we’ve had.” He’s also enjoyed seeing “wine glasses everywhere at lunch every day.” Even if no wine is being served, “it feels like an homage to the past in filmmaking.”

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.

The HBO production will, however, depart from the south of France to make way for tourists during the summer, the region’s busiest season. In June, it will shoot interiors at the Hôtel Lutetia — a Parisian landmark built in 1910 that was long considered a second home to Charlie Chaplin and Ernest Hemingway — and in studios before returning to the French Riviera.

Beyond the economic boost for the city, having the Cannes Film Festival serve as the backdrop for the show underscores its enduring pull and aura. Coincidentally, Venice welcomed “The Studio” last month to shoot at a re-creation of the Venice Film Festival — with Seth Rogen, Bryan Cranston and guest stars Madonna and Julia Garner spotted in the City of Canals. But that storyline promises to be nowhere near the scope of “The White Lotus,” which sets its entire season at the event.

“There’s nowhere grander for artists,” Bernad said. “It’s the biggest dream on Earth. I’m like an 8-year-old. All I want to do is have a movie in competition in Cannes and screen at the Palais.”