Prime Video has announced the premiere date for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 3 and revealed the first photo of Sauron (Charlie Vickers) in the new season (above), once again in a new form. Plus, new plot details reveal another time jump between seasons.
Here’s the description shared by Prime Video during its upfront presentation on May 11: “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, bind all peoples to his will – and at last rule all Middle-earth.”
The Rings of Power crossed the one-billion minutes watched mark on Prime Video, according to the Nielsen streaming charts for the week of August 24-September 1.
The Rings of Power was renewed for Season 3 in February 2025. Filming started in June 2025. Here’s everything there is to know so far about the upcoming season.
When does The Rings of Power Season 3 premiere?
The Rings of Power Season 3 premieres on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, exclusively on Prime Video.
What happens in The Rings of Power Season 3?
The War of the Elves happens during the Second Age of Middle-earth in J.R.R. Tolkien’s books and directly leads to the War of the Last Alliance seen in the prologue of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings film.
Shōgun director Charlotte Brändström and The Wheel of Time director Sanaa Hamri will return to direct in Season 3, Prime Video shares, and Stefan Schwartz (The Boys, The Walking Dead) joins as a new director this season.
Who is in The Rings of Power Season 3 cast?
Jamie Campbell Bower, Eddie Marsan (Jennifer McCord / Greg Williams)
Prime Video announced on February 27 that Jamie Campbell Bower and Eddie Marsan have joined the cast. Bower will be a series regular in Season 3, and Marsan will appear in a recurring role. Their characters have not yet been announced. Galadriel once mentioned her husband, Celeborn, in Season 1, saying that he was dead. But he’s very much alive in the books, leading some fans to believe that Galadriel may be wrong about her husband’s fate. If Bower is to be a series regular, could he be playing Celeborn? We could certainly see the Stranger Things star playing a wise and ancient elf.
Andrew Richardson, Zubin Varla, and Adam Young were announced as new stars on June 12. Richardson will be a series regular, and Varla and Young will have recurring roles. As usual with Rings of Power casting updates, their characters have not been revealed.
The Tolkien adaptation stars Morfydd Clark, Vickers, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Trystan Gravelle, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Maxim Baldry, Robert Aramayo, Benjamin Walker, Sophia Nomvete, Owain Arthur, Markella Kavenagh, Daniel Weyman, Megan Richards, Tyroe Muhafidin, Lloyd Owen, and more. Season 2 featured Rory Kinnear, Tanya Moodie, and more as guest stars, and it also saw the deaths of major characters like Celebrimbor, played by Charles Edwards, Adar, played by Sam Hazeldine, and King Durin, played by Peter Mullan. An official Season 3 cast list will be announced at a later time.
How many seasons of The Rings of Power will there be?
Showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay previously told TV Insider that they made Seasons 1 and 2 with a five-season plan in mind. This was shared during a set visit I attended in Bray, England, in April 2023.
“We have a five-year plan that we’ve had all along that’s not changing,” Payne told us on set, referring to the number of seasons they’ve always envisioned for the fantasy series. McKay reaffirmed their commitment to the plan to TV Insider ahead of Season 2’s premiere in 2024 when asked how fan reaction does or doesn’t influence the show’s content.
“The show this season is the product of four years of creative work. We’re all incredibly proud of the results and excited to share it with our audience, which means then you want to know what they think,” McKay told TV Insider. “But at the end of the day, we have a plan. We’ve had it for six years, we’re seeing it through. I don’t know that anything people say, positive or negative, you truly take to heart. We’re our own worst critics. And I think when things are pretty good, I think we have a pretty good radar for when it’s working.”
Brändström, director of the epic Battle of Eregion episode (Season 2 Episode 7) and the finale, also told TV Insider that there are “Easter eggs” in the latter that are “things that people will remember, but that also has to do what’s going to come up in Season 3.”
Where did The Rings of Power Season 2 leave off?
Prime Video
Season 2 of the J.R.R. Tolkien adaptation featured the Siege of Eregion detailed in Tolkien’s writings about the Second Age of Middle-earth. It’s a pivotal event in this universe’s history tied to the creation of the rings of power for dwarves and men. Those seven rings for dwarven kings and the nine for men were completed as of Season 2 Episode 7, the penultimate of the season. The fallout from the Battle of Eregion took place in the finale, which will also saw Sauron and Galadriel crossing paths (and swords) for the first time that season (see above).
Tolkien fans know that the Fall of Númenor is on the horizon, as the show creators and stars have all confirmed that the island kingdom’s downfall will be shown should the series continue beyond Season 2. McKay confirmed that the Fall of Númenor would not happen in Season 2 to TV Insider ahead of the season premiere.
“We’re not there yet. Down the road,” he said, adding, “There’s still a lot of things that have to happen before Númenor falls.”
Míriel foresaw the kingdom’s destruction via tidal wave in a premonition in Season 1 and has been fighting to prevent that fate ever since. Her cousin and advisor, Pharazôn (Gravelle), usurped her throne in Season 2, which book readers know is a bad sign for the nation. The Season 3 time jump could mean that the state of Númenor’s political turmoil will have greatly progressed at the start of the season.
The Rings of Power Season 2 premiered with three episodes on Thursday, August 29, 2024, and continued through the first week of October.
The Rings of Power, Season 3 Premiere, Wednesday, November 11, Prime Video
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