Now that Sauron, the big bad of The Lord of the Rings, has revealed his (not bad-looking) face on The Rings of Power and has started to spread darkness throughout Middle-earth, how will the heroes of the prequel series...uh...cope? The Rings of Power season 2 has begun, and here’s what we know about a possible season 3.
The series is about the creation of the 19 titular rings of power the Dark Lord Sauron distributes to sovereign rulers across Middle-earth (three for elves, seven for dwarves, and nine for men) and how they corrupt arrogance and greed into an evil that spreads across the land. Then, as we learn in The Lord of the Rings, Sauron makes a secret ring for himself that controls all the other rings. It’s the ultimate grift.
So is The Rings of Power coming back for season 3?
We don’t know for sure yet. This show is a major commitment for Amazon Studios—it’s the most expensive television program ever produced, as both lovers and haters of the show simply love to point out at any given moment, and Jeff Bezos is a notorious Tolkien fan, so one would think The Lord of the Rings as intellectual property is not something he and his fellow bigwigs would throw away lightly.
But we really never know! This show is seemingly not for everyone, and that could come back to bite them. It happens to have a taste I have acquired and encourage others to try even if they aren’t Tolkien experts. (I’m certainly not!) I want to be an optimist. But the pessimist in me knows mass appeal helps when it comes to getting shows renewed.
Co-showrunner Patrick McKay told The Hollywood Reporter this: “All we can say is, we’re working on it. We’re cooking. Let us cook!” That’s hopeful, at least. C
What would The Rings of Power season 3 be about?
That’s going to depend—as is often the case with television adaptations and especially prequels—on when and how the second season ends. Presumably when this series calls it quits, it will end with what is called the “Last Alliance of Elves and Men,” aka the war that finally defeated Sauron. But they could draw out that middle portion as long as they’d like.
If I were to make an educated guess about what happens in season 3, I would look to the kingdoms of men in Middle-earth and the rings that Sauron gifts to them. We know who the three elven ring-bearers are. We know some of the dwarf kings too, and season 2 will likely dig into that. But we don’t really know which men will be called to wear and wield those rings. (Also, fun fact: Those nine kings become the spooky ringwraiths called “Nazgûl” who chase Frodo in The Lord of the Rings. So I really wanna know who they are!)
That would potentially mean some new cast members. Characters in The Lord of the Rings don’t die off as easily as they do in *cough* other fantasy series, so season 3 would definitely mean more actors joining the sandbox, not less.
When would The Rings of Power season 3 come out?
*sigh* Probably in two years, right? That seems to be the drill these days. I’m not 100 percent mad because the work and detail (and money...did we mention the money?) that the producers put into this show is onscreen. The show is gorgeous to look at! But the only way we’d get a season 3 in 2025 is if they had already started filming it, like, yesterday. As much as I would love to return to Middle-earth on a yearly basis, my educated guess is if/when it is renewed, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 3 would hit Amazon in late August or early September of 2026.
