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

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The Rings of Power season 2 has 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, including an industry report from The Hollywood Reporter that 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 into huge The 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

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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 said at 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 around August 2026.

The Rings of Power season 3 plot

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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, Sauron is 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 with Feëanor’s hammer in Annatar form, 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 of Mordor – 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 the Siege 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 Stranger was the famous wizard after all. He now knows his name, has his staff, and is set on his path to clash with both the Dark Wizard and 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 the Lord 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 the Nazghûl. 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

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Although there were some big casualties (RIP Adar, 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.

Charlie Vickers as Sauron
Morfydd Clark as Galadriel
Robert Aramayo as Elrond
Benjamin Walker as Gil-galad
Daniel Weyman as Gandalf
Sophia Nomvete as Disa
Owain Arthur as Durin IV
Kevin Eldon as Narvi
Lloyd Owen as Elendil
Maxim Baldry as Isildur
Trystan Gravelle as Pharazôn

The Rings of Power season 3 trailer

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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.