The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has recently been confirmed for season 3, which makes the adaptation of one huge J.R.R. Tolkien story very likely. Season 1 premiered in 2022 to a mixed reception but has since garnered more respect. The Rings of Power season 2 got positive reviews and many fans cited improvements. The show has been noted for portraying the Second Age stories of J.R.R. Tolkien with varying levels of faithfulness, but one season 3 story looks set to be quite faithful to the books.

The Rings of Power season 3 will have to cover a certain few storylines that season 2 set up. This bodes very well for the show’s third season, which is starting to get into the meatiest parts of The Silmarillion. Rings of Power only has the rights to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and is adapting Second Age tales from LotR’s appendices. However, it is leaning into The Silmarillion lore to flesh out the roughly sketched timelines in the appendices. In this vein, season 3 should dive into a fan-favorite Silmarillion arc.

Rings Of Power Season 3’s Renewal All But Confirms The Fall Of Númenor Is Happening

Rings Of Power Will Show The Island’s Fall At Some Point

With Rings of Power showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay confirming to Screen Rant that they are “prepping now, very, very intensely” for season 3, it seems like the Fall of Númenor will surely soon be adapted. This story features in “Akallabêth”, one of the last parts of 1977’s The Silmarillion, and covers Sauron’s stay on the island as a prisoner of Ar-Pharazôn. Season 2 foreshadowed the Fall of Númenor when Pharazôn saw Sauron in the palantír. Now that Pharazôn has seized power, the next step, canonically, is to start expanding his rule, which will eventually involve imprisoning Sauron.

The Fall Of Númenor Could Be One Of LOTR’s Biggest On-Screen Events If Done Properly

Lord Of The Rings Needs A Númenor Adaptation

If The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power gets its Númenor arc right, it will be one of the best Lord of the Rings moments in history. Despite the magnificent Hobbit and Lord of the Rings trilogies, many of the best J.R.R. Tolkien stories remain unadapted. The Silmarillion contains most of them, so The Rings of Power has a huge opportunity in its flexible Second Age concept, adapting Silmarillion stories that cross over into LotR’s appendices. The Fall of Númenor may be the most exciting of these stories.

The Fall of Númenor is such a central part of LotR that it must be adapted at some point. Rings of Power has a special relationship with the Tolkien Estate, which allows them one-off rights to certain snippets of the legendarium as needed. This may allow it to use details of “Akallabêth,” which could make for one of the best LotR adaptations ever. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will likely adapt the Fall of Númenor in season 3 or 4, so fans should get treated to it even if the series isn’t renewed for a season 5.