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- Prime Video has confirmed season three of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is in pre-production.
- Filming will begin later this year in the series’ new production home at Shepperton Studios in the U.K.
- Three directors, Charlotte Brändström, Sanaa Hamri, and Stefan Schwartz, will helm the upcoming season.
- No release date has been confirmed for the new season.
- The Lord of the Rings prequel series has attracted over 170 million viewers worldwide and continues to be one of Prime Video’s most successful original productions.
Prime Video is set to return to Middle Earth, officially confirming season three of the hit series Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The upcoming instalment will begin filming later this year, with the production shifting from Surrey and Berkshire to its new home in Shepperton Studios in the United Kingdom. While the plot points and release date remain under wraps, Prime Video has confirmed some key details about the upcoming series, including crew and production notes.
The Rings of Power Season Three
The Prime Video prequel series, which first premiered in September 2022, is set during the Second Age of Middle-earth, thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s iconic works The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. The first season was a breakout success for the streaming platform, critically lauded for its visuals, designs and respect for the source material.
According to Amazon, The Rings of Power was the most-watched of any Prime Video original series ever released, generating a whopping 170 million viewers worldwide, and while the second instalment failed to reach the same viewership numbers, interest in a third season has been swelling for months.
As early as July 2024, showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay began discussing the upcoming season, telling attendees at San Diego Comic-Con 2024 that they had begun working on new episodes. Just a few months later, the showrunners revealed the storyline had been set and that they were hopeful that production would be in the near future.
“The answer is yes, we’re very excited, but we can’t say anything other than we’re working on season three,” McKay told GamesRadar. “We have a story we think is really strong, and we’re hoping to turn it around as fast as possible.”
Flash forward to last week and Vernon Sanders, head of television at Amazon MGM Studios, officially kicked off production formalities. The television executive confirmed that season three is currently in production and revealed that the upcoming instalment will explore Tolkien’s famous lore further.
“The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power continues to captivate audiences worldwide, and we’re thrilled that a third season is underway,” Vernon Sanders, head of television at Amazon MGM Studios said in a statement. “The creative team has an extraordinary vision of what’s to come with stories that have left us enchanted and enthralled. We look forward to continuing this epic journey, for our global customers, delving even deeper into the legendary tales that shaped Middle-earth.”
Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 3 Production
On the production side, Prime Video has confirmed that series directors Charlotte Brändström and Sanaa Hamri will return for Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season three, however, this time they will be joined by a fellow industry legend. Stefan Schwartz, the filmmaker behind hit television series such as The Boys, The Walking Dead, Luther, and The Americans joins the directorial team, marking his first involvement with the Tolkien universe.
Schwartz brings with him a fresh view of the series, which up to this point has been primarily led by acclaimed filmmakers Brändström and Hamri. The former is an award-winning director famous for her work on The Witcher and The Man in the High Castle; however, most recently, she secured global recognition for the blockbuster hit Shōgun. Hamri, on the other hand, is a renowned film, television, music video, and commercial director who, alongside work on season two of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, served as the executive producer and director for season two of Prime Video’s The Wheel of Time.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is produced by showrunners and executive producers J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay. They are joined by executive producers Lindsey Weber, Justin Doble, Kate Hazell, and executive producer-director Charlotte Brändström. Matthew Penry-Davey is producer and Ally O’Leary, Tim Keene, and Andrew Lee are co-producers.
Rings of Power Season 3 Cast Predictions
While Prime Video has not officially confirmed The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power season three cast, it is likely that lead characters Robert Aramayo, Morfydd Clark and Charlie Vickers will return for the upcoming instalment. While there are certainly new characters that will be added to the fold, here is the cast that we are expecting to see return for season three:
- Robert Aramayo as Elrond
- Morfydd Clark as Galadriel
- Charlie Vickers as Sauron
- Kevin Eldon as Narvi
- Tyroe Muhafidin as Theo
- Benjamin Walker as Gil-galad
- Lloyd Owen as Elendil
- Daniel Weyman as Gandalf
- Maxim Baldry as Isildur
- Sophia Nomvete as Disa
- Owain Arthur as Durin IV
- Trystan Gravelle as Pharazôn
- Ciarán Hinds as the Dark Wizard
- Markella Kavenagh as Elanor “Nori” Brandyfoot
- Rory Kinnear as Tom Bombadil
- Cynthia Addai-Robinson as Míriel
- Ismael Cruz Córdova as Arondir
- Megan Richards as Poppy Proudfellow
- Leon Wadham as Kemen
- Ema Horvath as Eärien
Rings of Power Season 3 Synopsis
Prime Video confirmed that season three of the hit Lord of the Rings prequel series will jump forward several years from the events of the past season. According to an official statement, season three 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.
The Rings of Power Season 2
The announcement of Rings of Power season three comes less than a year after season two officially finished up. The Rings of Power season two wrapped on October 2, 2024 with a climactic final episode that sent fans into a spiral. In the finale, Galadriel vowed to hunt down Sauron with a reluctant Elrond in tow, while the Dark Lord searched for allies of his own. Meanwhile, a dark shadow fell over the dwarven kingdom of Khazad-dûm, the island kingdom of Númenor began to fracture, and a feeble Harfoot journeyed to the unexplored lands of Rhûn to help her mysterious, giant companion.
Importantly, season two foreshadowed Sauron’s rise as a legitimate threat. The events of the second instalment indicated that the iconic antagonist was growing in confidence. With a mysterious Dark Wizard threatening to shift focus, Sauron looks primed for a dramatic uprising. As exciting as that sounds, if and when we’ll get to see this transformation remains unclear.
No official release date for Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season three has been confirmed. The award-winning series is currently in pre-production at its new production home, Shepperton Studios, and filming will commence in autumn of this year. Further information will be revealed in the coming months.
