Will there be a Rings of Power season 3? Latest news and speculation

Season 2 episode 8 saw brutal deaths, a huge betrayal, and a gigantic reveal as we finally learnt the identity of Daniel Weyman's The Stranger.

Set in JRR Tolkien's Middle-earth, the epic fantasy series faced much criticism in the wake of its initial release.

Season 2 has proven to be an improvement, with the villain adopting a brand new form and new additions to the sprawling cast, including Ciarán Hinds as the Dark Wizard and Rory Kinnear as Tom Bombadil, making their mark.

But what's in store for the sprawling Rings of Power cast beyond this instalment?

Executive producer Charlotte Brändström recently dropped a big hint, telling RadioTimes.com: "I can't say much about season 3, but I think there'll be good news soon."

Fingers crossed! Here's everything we know so far about a potential Rings of Power season 3!

Will there be The Rings of Power season 3?

A third season of The Rings of Power has not yet been officially confirmed – however, it does seem highly likely that it's a matter of 'when', not 'if' the show is renewed.

It was reported in February that while a third season hadn’t officially been ordered and a writers room had not opened, the showrunners had already started to break the initial story outline.

When asked about any confirmation for season 3 in August 2024, at the season 2 premiere, one of the series's showrunners Patrick McKay said: "All we can say is, we’re working on it. We’re cooking. Let us cook!"

This certainly tracks with what was said when the first season of the show was being released. At that time,McKay's co-showrunner JD Payne told Empire that the show was intended to last for five seasons.

He said: "We even know what our final shot of the last episode is going to be. The rights that Amazon bought were for a 50-hour show.

"They knew from the beginning that was the size of the canvas – this was a big story with a clear beginning, middle and end. There are things in the first season that don’t pay off until season five."

More recently, Payne told RadioTimes.com of the five-season plan and the show's pacing: "In some ways it was a plan from the very, very beginning. The earliest days we were talking about this project and this property and where we thought there was a story that demanded to be told.

"What's great about this era of Middle-earth's history is that there are these incredible tentpole events.

"They're laid out in the appendices in the books. We fashioned the show so that each season would would, you know, be built around a couple of these major tentpole moments... And you have to stay tuned to see what we do next time."

We will update this page if and when we get official confirmation of a third season of The Rings of Power.

When could a potential The Rings of Power season 3 be released?

We don't yet know when a third season of The Rings of Power would debut, as the series hasn't been officially renewed yet. However, we can employ some educated guesswork.

We would guess that season 3 would arrive around August or September 2026 – although we will, of course, keep this page updated if we hear anything different.

The second season arrived almost exactly two years after the first, and given the show's hefty budget, extensive VFX work and dramatic production values, it seems unlikely the team would be able to get another season out much quicker than that.

Who could be in a potential The Rings of Power season 3 cast?

With the finale having aired, we can now make a decent guess as to who will be back in a potential season 3 - and who certainly won't be.

Of course, we're expecting to see the return of Charlie Vickers as Sauron and Morfydd Clark as Galadriel as they continue to represent the forces of good and evil.

Here are some of the central cast members from The Rings of Power season 2, who could return for a third season:

• Morfydd Clark as Galadriel
• Charlie Vickers as Sauron
• Markella Kavenagh as Elanor 'Nori' Brandyfoot
• Robert Aramayo as Elrond
• Benjamin Walker as High King Gil-galad
• Ismael Cruz Córdova as Arondir
• Tyroe Muhafidin as Theo
• Daniel Weyman as The Stranger
• Owain Arthur as Prince Durin IV
• Sophia Nomvete as Princess Disa
• Lloyd Owen as Elendil
• Bridie Sisson as The Dweller
• Cynthia Addai-Robinson as Queen Regent Míriel
• Trystan Gravelle as Pharazôn
• Maxim Baldry as Isildur
• Ema Horvath as Eärien
• Geoff Morrell as Waldreg
• Leon Wadham as Kemen
• Rory Kinnear as Tom Bombadil
• Calam Lynch as Camnir
• Kevin Eldon as Narvi
• Ben Daniels as Círdan
• Ciaran Hinds as the Dark Wizard
• Nia Towle as Estrid

There are various characters we wouldn't expect back for future seasons, including Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards) who died at the hands of Sauron in the season 2 finale. The same can be said for Adar (Sam Hazeldine) whose demise saw the Orcs turn against him on Sauron's orders.

Season 2 episode 8 also saw the death of King Durin (Peter Mullan) as he faced a Balrog, with Prince Durin (Owain Arthur) set to take on the throne.

Earlier in the season, we saw the deaths of Alex Tarrant as Valandil, and Amelia Kenworthy as Mirdania, so we're not expecting to see them back.

Despite Nazanin Boniadi's Bronwyn making it out of season 1 alive, the beginning episodes of season 2 revealed that she died off-screen between seasons. That's because Boniadi exited the show after season 1 for personal reasons.

We also won't rule out some further recasts. The character of Adar was previously played by Joseph Mawle, with Sam Hazeldine taking over for season 2. While no recasts have been announced, it's clearly a possibility in The Rings of Power.

What could the plot of a potential The Rings of Power season 3 be?

Of course, we don't know exactly what potential future seasons will cover, but Brändström and director of photography Alex Disenhof are both keen to tackle one keen moment from Tolkien's lore should the show continue.

"Although it would be a total pain to shoot because it's underwater, the Fall of Numenor," Disenhof told RadioTimes.com, with Brändström adding: "The Fall of Numenor and the big tsunami!"

Disenhof added: "I think it would be pretty cool although I know what that would entail underwater..."

"That would be fun! Anything that’s visual because what I like about this show is that it’s very cinematic and it’s rare to have that much scope, so it makes it very exciting," Brändström pointed out.

Is there a trailer for a potential The Rings of Power season 3?

There isn't a trailer available for a potential Rings of Power season 3 just yet, but we'll keep this page updated once any new footage is released.

In the meantime you can rewatch the season 2 trailer right here now.

How many seasons are planned for The Rings of Power?

When the deal between Amazon Studios and co-showrunners JD Payne and Patrick McKay was made, it was confirmed they were planning for five seasons.

"We’re building infrastructure for five seasons. We’re building a small city. We were always going to spend what we needed to spend to get it right," Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke recently told Variety.

She added: "I’m fortunate to be working at this company where we want to be financially disciplined, but nobody wanted to compromise on what this would be visually.

"I think it was all money really well spent. If you look at how people are reacting to the visual experience of the show, that’s been overwhelmingly positive."

Of course, that doesn't mean that five seasons are officially confirmed, only planned.

The Rings of Power is available to watch on Prime Video – you can sign up now for a free 30-day Prime Video trial.

If you’re looking for something else to watch in the meantime, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide, or visit our dedicated Fantasy hub. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.