Amazon Prime’s “The Rings of Power” has been renewed for a third season, months after the show’s divisive second season came to an end.
The Hollywood Reporter confirmed the news, reporting that “The Rings of Power” Season 3 is currently in preproduction and that filming is expected to begin this spring.
The logline reads: “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 and conquer all Middle-earth at last.”
The War of the Elves takes place in the Second Age of Middle-earth and “was the first major battle in Middle-earth against Sauron (Charlie Vickers),” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The war is a catalyst of multiple pivotal events in the history of Middle-earth, including the fall of Númenor and the establishment of Rivendell.
For context, the War of the Elves “occurs before the clash seen in the prologue of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ movies, which was the War of the Last Alliance,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
How are fans reacting to the news?
Not all J.R.R. Tolkien fans are excited about “The Rings of Power” Season 3.
“We won’t be watching. This show is a stain upon Tolkien’s great works,” one fan wrote on X.
“This nonsense still going?” another fan wrote.
But those who enjoyed the first two seasons of “The Rings of Power” are celebrating.
Some have reacted to the news of a time jump favorably.
“A timeskip is a major win for all the storylines atp imo,” one user wrote on X.
Another wrote, “I feel like this cheats us on a relationship level (we won’t get to see Isildur’s reunion with his family or his reaction to super important things like Eärien or valandil’s death) but it makes sense on a plot level.”
How well did ‘The Rings of Power’ Season 2 do?
Not only did “The Rings of Power” Season 2 receive lukewarm reviews last year, it also saw a dip in viewership from Season 1
According to a 2024 streaming report from Luminate Data, “The second season of Prime Video’s Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power saw a 60% decrease in total minutes watched from the show’s first season.”
But it’s not all bad news — according to The Hollywood Reporter, “The Rings of Power” Season 2 “is the streamer’s most watched returning season by number of hours watched.”
The Hollywood Reporter continues, “Amazon says 170 million viewers worldwide have checked out the show and it’s been one of the strongest drivers for new Prime membership signups.”
Despite not receiving renewal status at the time, it was reported last year that showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay were already preparing for “The Rings of Power” Season 3 shortly after the second season came to an end, as previously reported by the Deseret News.
Additionally, Payne and McKay have already planned out all five seasons of “The Rings of Power.”
When will ‘The Rings of Power’ Season 3 come out?
No release date has been announced for “The Rings of Power” Season 3.