Helena Bonham Carter Leaving ‘The White Lotus’ Season 4, Will Be Recast

EXCLUSIVE: Helena Bonham Carter will not be starring in Season 4 of HBO‘s The White Lotus. The two-time Oscar-nominated actress has departed the upcoming France-set installment of Mike White‘s popular murder mystery series. The news comes a little over a week after production on the new season started on the French Riviera.

“With filming just underway on Season 4 of The White Lotus, it had become apparent that the character which Mike White created for Helena Bonham Carter did not align once on set,” an HBO spokesperson said in a statement to Deadline. “The role has subsequently been rethought, is being rewritten and will be recast in the coming weeks. HBO, the producers and Mike White are saddened that they won’t get to work with her, but remain ardent fans and very much hope to work with the legendary actress on another project soon.”

This is a very rare recasting for creative reasons on The White Lotus as White is meticulous about the casting process, finding the actors who best embody his vision for the characters.

Carter was at the top of the producers’ wish list and the first actor pursued for Season 4 of The White Lotus which, as recently revealed, will take place during the Cannes Film Festival.

But as production started and Carter shot her first scenes, White, who writes and directs each episode, felt that her character as originally conceived was not what it should be, sources said. With the role believed to be central to the Season 4 story, a decision was made to rework it and recast it.

Filming is continuing, with the schedule adjusted to focus on the rest of the cast and accommodate the time needed for White to do rewrites and for HBO to get a new actress on board. (The White Lotus‘ unique setup, having the entire cast in one location for the duration of the shoot, makes scheduling changes easier logistically.)

The rest of the Season 4 cast includes Vincent Cassel, Steve Coogan, Caleb Jonte Edwards, Dylan Ennis, Corentin Fila, Ari Graynor, Marissa Long, Alexander Ludwig, Chris Messina, AJ Michalka, Kumail Nanjiani, and Nadia Tereszkiewicz. Additional cast includes Chloe Bennet, Sandra Bernhard, Heather Graham, Max Greenfield, Frida Gustavsson, Charlie Hall, Jarrad Paul, Rosie Perez, Ben Schnetzer, and Laura Smet.

The hotels featured in the new season are Airelles Château de la Messardière in Saint-Tropez as the White Lotus du Cap and the Hôtel Martinez as the White Lotus Cannes. Filming locations include Cannes, St. Tropez, and Monaco. Filming will also take place in Paris, though the story will remain along the Côte d’Azur.

Written and directed by series creator White, Season 4 is executive produced by White, David Bernad and Mark Kamine.