The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 3 release date speculation, cast, plot, and more news

There’s still a lot more of Middle-earth’s story to tell

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The Rings of Power season 2has come to an epic, blistering close, but there’s still a lot more of this Lord of the Rings story to be told. Set in the Second Age, the show so far has focused on Sauron’s rise in Middle-earth, which comes to a dramatic conclusion at the end of the second season. However, while the showrunners have been open about their plans for five seasons in total of the fantasy epic, Prime Video hasn’t officially renewed the show just yet.

But before you panic, there are some pretty heavy reports suggesting that it’s coming, includingan industry report from The Hollywood Reporterthat the streaming service is fully committed to all five seasons. The showrunners have also confirmed that they’re working on season 3 already, so it hopefully won’t be too long before we’re returning to Middle-earth once again. To tide you over in the meantime, we’ve put together a comprehensive guide to the latest on that as well as The Rings of Power season 3’s cast, potential story, and some exclusive insight.

Needless to say, we’re getting intohugeThe Rings of Power season 2 episode 8 spoilers below. So make sure you’ve seen the finale before reading on.

The Rings of Power season 3 release date speculation

At the moment, there is no release date for The Rings of Power season 3, as it hasn’t been officially renewed by Prime Video yet. However, that doesn’t mean we don’t have any idea about when to expect it.

Back at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay confirmed work had begun on the new episodes. “We’re working on it,” he saidat a press conference attended by GamesRadar+on July 27, 2024.

Now, while this is a really good sign, it doesn’t tell us too much about when we might see season 3, as writing on the second season actually took place at the same time as filming on the first season.

We’ll have a much clearer idea when filming actually kicks off on the third instalment. Filming on season 2 began about a month after the end of season 1 aired. Looking at the time between season 2 starting production and actual release, it took about 20 months. If season 3 follows the exact same pattern, this means we can expect to see it aroundAugust 2026.

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Of course, this is just a guess at the moment, so we’ll keep you posted with any updates.

The Rings of Power season 3 plot

The Rings of Power season 3 doesn’t have an official synopsis just yet, but given where the finale brings the story, we do have a good idea about what to expect. First and foremost,Sauronis now at his greatest power yet, having taken possession of the Nine Rings for Men as well as bringing the Orc army under his wing. After his confrontation with Galadriel, we see him standing withFeëanor’s hammer inAnnatarform, and we’re betting this is setting up his forging of the One Ring. In J.R.R. Tolkien’s works, Sauron forges this in the flames ofMordor– could this be where he is heading next?

He’ll face opposition no doubt from the rest of Middle-earth. The Elves are bruised and battered following theSiege of Eregion, with severely depleted numbers. However, even with Galadriel recovering from her near death experience, she decides along with Elrond and Gil-galad that they will fight to defeat the Dark Lord. We expect the third season will begin with them rallying their ranks and working out how to do this.

They’ll have a new ally though, who has just learned his name: Gandalf. Yes,the Strangerwas the famous wizard after all. He now knows his name, has his staff, and is set on his path to clash with both theDark Wizardand with Sauron. It’s not yet clear whether the Harfoots will be part of this, as they head off on their own way at the end of the season, but let’s hope it’s not the last we see of them.

Elsewhere, things are not looking good. In Khazad-dûm, the Dwarves are in mourning after the death of King Durin and are also dealing with the fact they’ve awoken the Balrog under the mountain. Numenór is in disarray with Pharazon declaring supporters of Miriel as traitors and sending Elendil fleeing with a very familiar sword (read more about Narsil here). It’s not much better for the other humans either, many of whom (including Isildur) are leaving the Southlands for Numenor.

In terms of where we leave season 2 on theLord of the Rings timeline, we’re nearing the halfway point of the Second Age. Looking at what to expect next from Tolkien’s books, we’ll likely see the creation of Rivendell in the wake of Eregion’s fall, but there is a big gap in the timeline between that and the next big event: the first sighting of theNazghûl. It seems pretty clear that The Rings of Power will look to fill in the gaps of the men given the rings in season 3.

The Rings of Power season 3 cast

Although there were some big casualties (RIPAdar, King Durin and Celebrimbor) in The Rings of Power season 2, we’re expecting most of the major cast to return for a third season. There will also likely be plenty of new characters joining as well, but in the meantime, this is who we’re expecting back for the next season.

The Rings of Power season 3 trailer

There’s no trailer for The Rings of Power season 3 yet, as filming hasn’t begun on the show. Watch this space though as we’ll keep you up to date with any news we get.

While we wait for more news on The Rings of Power season 3, check out our guide to thebest shows on Amazon Prime Video, ranked.

I’m the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering TV and film for the Total Film and SFX sections online. I previously worked as a Senior Showbiz Reporter and SEO TV reporter at Express Online for three years. I’ve also written for The Resident magazines and Amateur Photographer, before specializing in entertainment.

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