The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 3 confirmed, alongside cast

Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is famously cited as the most expensive TV show ever, and it’s returning for a third season.

Amazon has confirmed the third season is on the way, with production due to begin fairly soon in the UK according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The big sell for this season is we get a big time jump, sending us deep into Sauron’s war with the elves.

However, as The Rings of Power is set thousands of years before the main The Lord of the Rings time line, we’re not talking about a bridging of the two eras. Season three will simply get us closer to the making of the one ring. It's about bloody time.

“Jumping forward several years from the events of season 2, season 3 takes place at the height of the War of the Elves and Sauron, as the Dark Lord seeks to craft the One Ring that will give him the edge he needs to win the war and conquer all Middle-earth at last,” reads the official blurb.

While there have been no casting announcements, the Amazon blog on The Rings of Power season 3 suggests Robert Aramayo will return as Elrond, alongside Morfydd Clark (Galadriel) and Charlie Vickers (Sauron).

Is The Rings of Power any good?

The Rings of Power’s critical reception hasn’t quite matched the sheer amount of cash pumped into it, but the show is Prime Video’s most-watched to date. Amazon says 170 million people have watched it thus far.

Prime Video’s brilliant Fallout was revealed to be the streamer’s second most-watched hit last year, and has since reached the impressive benchmark of 100 million viewers. That’s not bad for a show violent and dark enough to deter some family watchers.

Amazon hasn’t announced a release date for The Rings of Power season 3, but we do have enough information to have a reasonable stab at a guess.

The Rings of Power season 2 began filming in October 2022, and was released a little under two years later in August 2024. Could this mean we don’t get to see season 3 until 2027? Yikes.

The second season of The Rings of Power was apparently pretty popular with UK viewers, but didn’t quite bring in the crowds like the first season did globally according to Nielsen ratings.