Fans of “The White Lotus” and anyone looking forward to the “It” prequel series on HBO and Max will likely have to wait a little longer for new episodes.
Casey Bloys, chairman and CEO of HBO and Max, revealed revised scheduling plans for both shows when asked by reporters Thursday about how the writers’ strike and ongoing actors’ strike will impact scheduling plans for HBO and Max’s 2024 programming slate.
“White Lotus Season 3 will probably be available in 2024, it’s 2025,” Bloys said during a press event in New York. “Welcome to Derry” was scheduled to take place on Halloween in 2024. It will likely be in 2025.
The White Lotus, the hit HBO anthology series from creator Mike White, was in the early stages of preparing for Season 3 when a writers’ strike forced the new season to be halted. It was previously reported that the new series will be filmed in Thailand and that Natasha Rothwell will return in the same role she played in the first season. Now, with both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike delaying production on the new season, HBO and HBO Max Chairman/CEO Casey Bloys told reporters Thursday that “White Lotus” likely won’t be ready until 2025.
The show has proven to be a huge hit for HBO and Max. The second season alone received 23 Emmy Award nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series nominations and multiple acting nominations. Jennifer Coolidge earned her second consecutive nomination for the series in season two, having won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series for season one before switching award categories.
As for Welcome to Derry, exact plot details will be kept under wraps. The series’ official description states, “Set in the world of Stephen King’s ‘It’ universe, Welcome to Derry is based on King’s novel ‘It’ and expands on the vision created by director Andy Muschietti in the ‘It’ feature films.” the second”.
The show was in production in early 2023 before being shut down in July due to a cast strike. The series’ cast includes Taylor Page, Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, James Remar, Madeleine Stowe, and Steven Ryder.
“Welcome to Derry” was ordered to air at Max in February. It was developed for television by Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti and Jason Foxx. Fuchs is writing the teleplay for the first episode of the series, based on a story he and the Muschiettis wrote. Andy will also direct multiple episodes, including the first episode. Fuchs and Brad Caleb Kane serve as co-showrunners and executive producers, with the Muschiettis also executive producing via their Double Dream production company. Shelley Meals, Roy Lee and Dan Lin also serve as executive producers. The series is produced by HBO Max and Warner Bros. Television, with Double Dream currently under an overall deal at WBTV.
. “Professional creator. Lifelong thinker. Reader. Beer buff. Troublemaker. Evil problem solver.”