The Rings of Power season 3: Prime Video release date prediction, possible cast, likely plot, and more news and rumors

The Rings of Power season 3 feels like an inevitability at this point. Regardless of whether you like or loathe it, Amazon's Lord of the Rings (LotR) prequel series is one of its biggest TV Original hits so, in our view, a third installment is all but confirmed – especially as work is ongoing on the high fantasy show's next chapter.

Before The Rings of Power is officially renewed for another season, then, you'll want to get up to speed on everything we know about it so far. In this guide, we've rounded up the latest intel on the Prime Video show's third season, including its probable cast, likely story threads, when we think it'll air on the streaming platform, and more.

Full spoilers follow for The Rings of Power season 2. You have been warned.

The Rings of Power season 3 release date prediction

The Rings of Power season 3 hasn't been greenlit by Amazon Studios, but it's in active development. In late August, showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay told TechRadar they were "working on it" alongside their fellow writers, which means script work is currently ongoing.

Updates have been few and far between since we spoke to the show's co-creators. However, in September, director and executive producer Charlotte Brändström told RadioTimes.com that "there'll be good news soon", which suggests an announcement could be made shortly.

If it's renewed for a third outing, we predict season 3 will debut on Prime Video sometime in mid to late 2026. The Rings of Power season 1 was released on September 2, 2022, while its follow-up launched on August 29, 2024. If filming begins as soon as the forthcoming chapter is announced, we'd expect those in charge of development to maintain its two-year schedule, meaning it should air in August or September 2026.

The Rings of Power trailer: is there one?

No, and there won't be one until much closer to The Rings of Power season 3's release date, either. We'll update this section once a trailer is available – but, sit tight, because it's going to be a while.

The Rings of Power season 3 cast speculation

Full spoilers follow for The Rings of Power season 2.

Based on how season 2 ended, here's who we expect to see again in The Rings of Power season 3:

• Charlie Vickers as Sauron
• Morfydd Clark as Galadriel
• Robert Aramayo as Elrond
• Benjamin Walker as Gil-galad
• Ismael Cruz Cordova as Arondir
• Owain Arthur as Durin IV
• Sophia Nomvete as Disa
• Kevin Eldon as Narvi
• Lloyd Own as Elendil
• Maxim Baldry as Isildur
• Cynthia Addai-Robinson as Míriel
• Ema Horvath as Eärien
• Trystan Gravelle as Pharazôn
• Leon Wadham as Kemen
• Tyroe Muhafidin as Theo
• Daniel Weyman as Gandalf
• Rory Kinnear as Tom Bombadil
• Ciaran Hinds as The Dark Wizard
• Markella Kavenagh as Nori
• Megan Richards as Poppy

There are a number of big-name characters who won't return next season. Charles Edwards' Celebrimbor will be the most notable absence, with Eregion's leader and the master smith dying in the season 2 finale. Unless Celebrimbor returns in a flashback sequence, as one of Sauron's disguises (the Dark Lord masqueraded as Celebrimbor during his season 2 showdown with Galadriel), or – as depicted in Tolkien's wider works – his corpse is paraded on a banner as part of Sauron's army in season 3, Edwards won't reprise this role.

Peter Mullan's King Durin III won't be back, either, after Khazad-dûm's former monarch perished in an unwinnable duel with the Balrog known as Durin's Bane. Sam Hazeldine's Adar, Robert Strange's Glûg, and Amelia Kenworth's Mirdania are also on the deceased pile. Adar was murdered by Glûg and a band of orcs after Sauron used his dark magic to turn them against their Lord Father. Meanwhile, Glûg was slain by a furious and impulsive Sauron – in the final throes of the Siege of Eregion – when a legion of Khazad-dûm's dwarven soldiers arrived in the elven city to aid the fleeing elves' escape. Lastly, Mirdania was fatally injured after she was thrown from Eregion's walls by Sauron (although it was made to look like Celebrimbor did it) in season 2 episode 7. She was beheaded by an orc moments later.

As for potential newcomers, The Rings of Power season 3 should introduce new characters – those already established in LotR and original creations alike – to bolster the show's already extensive cast ranks. New faces could include Prince Durin's brother, who's set to vie with his sibling for Khazad-dûm's throne, and the nine kings of mortal men – Rhûn's Khamûl the Easterling among them – who'll surely be gifted one of the final nine Rings of Power by Sauron next time around.

Celeborn, Galadriel's presumed dead husband who's been conspicuous by his absence in the show so far, is another option. Celeborn not only plays an integral role in the elves' war to come with Sauron (more on this shortly) but also establishes the realm of Lothlórien with Galadriel in Middle-earth's Third Age, so he seems like a safe bet to appear. We'll update this section once any new characters (and the actors playing them) are announced.

The Rings of Power season 3 story rumors

Major spoilers follow for The Rings of Power season 2, plus J.R.R. Tolkien's various literary works.

The Rings of Power season 3's story synopsis hasn't been revealed yet. However, based on what happened in its forebear's final episode – read our The Rings of Power season 2 ending explained piece for more details – and LotR's source material, we can predict what's to come.

Let's start with Sauron. Now he has Fëanor's hammer and is experienced in the art of metallurgy, Morgoth's successor is primed to forge his own ring – the legendary One Ring – next season. It's one of three big wishes that Sauron star Charlie Vickers has for season 3, too; the Australian actor telling TechRadar he sees the One Ring's creation as the "next piece of the puzzle" for Middle-earth's Big Bad.

Sauron is also set to hand out the nine rings for mortal men, too, after finally acquiring the nonuplet in season 2 episode 8, titled 'Shadow and Flame'. These rings are the ones he's imbued with the greatest amount of dark magic – remember, his literal blood was secretly poured into them – so he'll be able to corrupt and control Middle-earth's human kings more efficiently than the elves (he didn't help to make that trio) and the dwarves (he had a hand in those rings' creation, but their corrupting influence isn't as strong as he'd hoped).

It's unclear who'll receive the nine rings in The Rings of Power. In LotR's canon, Khamûl the Easterling is the only named individual who's gifted one, so Amazon's prequel has creative freedom to distribute them to whomever they want. He's not a king, but our money is on one of them going to season 2's slimiest character in Kemen, i.e. Pharazôn's son.

Sauron won't have everything going his way in The Rings of Power season 3, though. After regrouping at what appears to be the location Rivendell will eventually be built upon, Gil-galad, Galadriel, Elrond, and Arondir rally Eregion and Lindon's remaining forces to halt Sauron's victory procession across Eriador. This marks the official start of The War of the Elves and Sauron, a centuries-long conflict where both sides trade telling blows and devastating losses as they vie for peace and world domination respectively.

As mentioned, this war is a protracted one, so we suspect one of the best Prime Video shows' writing team will considerably shorten the length of this conflict to ensure storylines involving its mortal characters – those being humans and dwarves – can still run concurrent to events playing out between the immortal elves and seemingly unkillable Sauron.

Speaking of the dwarves, two major plot threads were left dangling after the season 2 finale. The first involves finding a permanent successor to King Durin III and, while the smart money was on Prince Durin IV becoming Khazad-dûm's new monarch, his brother – Durin IV doesn't have a sibling in Tolkien's works – is also eyeing the subterranean kingdom's royal seat.

Durin IV, though, has an ace up his sleeve in the dwarven rings. He previously promised his wife, Princess Disa, that he'd never use or wear them but, with his brother garnering support from numerous dwarf lords, Durin and Disa may need to revisit that pact to sway some of his brother's supporters to their cause. Whether that means using the rings themselves or gifting them to the other lords, is currently unclear.

Aside from the familial melodrama, there's also the ever-looming danger of Durin's Bane. It's likely that, following King Durin III's sacrifice, it'll be trapped for the rest of the show. But, as we've said before, The Rings of Power has taken creative liberties with Tolkien's works, so it could rear its ugly head in future seasons.

Over in Rhûn and Middle-earth's eastern regions, Nori and Gandalf have gone their separate ways. After finding his staff, learning his real name, and reuniting with Tom Bombadil, the latter is ready to master his abilities ahead of his forthcoming showdowns with The Dark Wizard and Sauron. Meanwhile, Nori has headed off for pastures new with Poppy and the Stoor community. We're not sure whether we'll see Nori, Poppy, and the Stoors (not to mention the Harfoots) again, but a reunion between Nori and Gandalf hasn't been ruled out by their actors. It's possible their storyline has been split in two and we'll follow both characters on their individual paths next season.

Moving back west, there'll be plenty of familial and civil war-based drama to come in the realms of men. Indeed, Númenor and Pelargir are set to be the stages upon which more political infighting, not to mention actual battles, will play out.

Where Númenor is concerned, Elendil – with the legendary sword Narsil in hand – has fled Armenelos to rally The Faithful, i.e. those still loyal to the elves and the Valar (Middle-earth's angels, essentially), who haven't been imprisoned by the false king Pharazôn. One of those captives is Queen Regent Míriel, who's been accused of being in league with Sauron. However, we don't know yet if, as in the source material, she'll be forced to marry Pharazôn as a Hail Mary move to preserve the peace between The Faithful and The King's Men (those loyal to Pharazôn), or if things will play out differently. Oh, and let's not forget that Isildur is finally on his way back to Númenor. We wonder what he'll make of everything that's happened on the island since he was last there...

Meanwhile, Kemen and a legion of Númenórean soldiers have taken control of Pelargir and are now overseeing the production of a vast fleet of ships for his father. We won't spoil why they're being built, but let's just say it ties into Númenor's eventual downfall. Anyway, based on how this storyline ended in season 2, we don't think it'll be long before Theo, Estrid, and the rest of the Southlands' refugees – maybe with a little help from the Ents they ran into last season, too? – revolt against their newly installed superiors in The Rings of Power season 3.

Is The Rings of Power season 3 going to be the last one?

Before The Rings of Power's first season aired, Payne and McKay told Time magazine they had a five-season plan for their Lord of the Rings TV adaptation. However, discussing season 2 with TechRadar in late August, they kept referring to the show as a "multi-season" project. 

Does this slight change in terminology mean that five-season blueprint has been revised down to four? With season 2 getting off to an inauspicious start – per Deadline, its three-episode premiere suffered a 50% drop in viewership compared to its forebear – there were some fears that Amazon may renege on Payne and McKay's original master plan.

However, it appears that the five-season outline hasn't been altered, with a Prime Video spokesperson telling The Hollywood Reporter that Amazon "remains committed" to it. With one billion minutes (around 16.7 million hours) streamed in the US, according to streaming experts Nielsen, in its first week on Prime Video, plus 55 million viewers globally in its first month on the platform (per Variety), it seems Amazon's LotR prequel is still popular enough to warrant more entries. Don't expect The Rings of Power season 3 to be the end of the series, then.

For more Prime Video TV show-related coverage, read our guides on Fallout season 2, The Boys season 5, and Invincible season 3.