# The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 3
Season 3 of *The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power* is the third installment of the Prime Video fantasy series set in the Second Age of Middle-earth, premiering on November 11, 2026 with four episodes and completing its eight-episode run over three weeks.[1](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/entertainment/lord-of-the-rings-rings-of-power-season-3-prime-video) • [2](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/lord-of-the-rings-tv-shows/the-rings-of-power-showrunner-confirms-there-will-be-no-harfoots-in-season-3-of-the-lord-of-the-rings-prequel-it-was-time-for-them-to-take-a-little-bit-more-of-a-backseat/) The season covers the forging of the [One Ring](https://www.edgepedia.org/one-ring) and the War of the Elves and Sauron.[1](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/entertainment/lord-of-the-rings-rings-of-power-season-3-prime-video)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Premiere | November 11, 2026, first four episodes, exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories[1](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/entertainment/lord-of-the-rings-rings-of-power-season-3-prime-video) |
| Release schedule | Episodes 5 and 6 on November 18; the final two episodes on November 25[1](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/entertainment/lord-of-the-rings-rings-of-power-season-3-prime-video) |
| Setting | Five years after the fall of Eregion, at the height of the War of the Elves and Sauron[1](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/entertainment/lord-of-the-rings-rings-of-power-season-3-prime-video) • [2](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/lord-of-the-rings-tv-shows/the-rings-of-power-showrunner-confirms-there-will-be-no-harfoots-in-season-3-of-the-lord-of-the-rings-prequel-it-was-time-for-them-to-take-a-little-bit-more-of-a-backseat/) |
| Central plot | Sauron, in his newly completed tower of Barad-dûr, forges the One Ring; the free peoples race to stop his domination[1](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/entertainment/lord-of-the-rings-rings-of-power-season-3-prime-video) |
| New cast | Jamie Campbell Bower (Celeborn), Zubin Varla (Khamûl), Eddie Marsan (Thrain), Andrew Richardson (Anarion), Adam Young (Marnûkh), Simon Pegg (voice of the Balrog)[1](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/entertainment/lord-of-the-rings-rings-of-power-season-3-prime-video) |
| Renewal and production | Renewed February 13, 2025; filmed at Shepperton Studios, UK; filming began July 30, 2025 and wrapped in December 2025[3](https://www.tvline.com/news/the-rings-of-power-renewed-season-3-amazon-1235346194/) • [4](https://www.techradar.com/streaming/amazon-prime-video/prime-video-sets-late-2026-release-date-for-the-rings-of-power-season-3-and-its-unnerving-first-image-teases-something-important-about-charlie-vickers-sauron) |
| Showrunners | J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, with Charlotte Brändström as executive producer-director[1](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/entertainment/lord-of-the-rings-rings-of-power-season-3-prime-video) |
## Story and setting
**A five-year time jump.** Season 3 begins five years after the events of season 2 and the fall of Eregion, the largest jump between seasons in the series to that point.[2](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/lord-of-the-rings-tv-shows/the-rings-of-power-showrunner-confirms-there-will-be-no-harfoots-in-season-3-of-the-lord-of-the-rings-prequel-it-was-time-for-them-to-take-a-little-bit-more-of-a-backseat/) • [5](https://www.tvinsider.com/1154683/) In the official synopsis, Sauron's armies have marched across the world, leaving only isolated strongholds: Khazad-dûm, where the Dwarves are sealed inside their mountain halls, and the elven realms of Lindon and [Rivendell](https://www.edgepedia.org/rivendell), protected by their Three Rings.[1](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/entertainment/lord-of-the-rings-rings-of-power-season-3-prime-video)
**The One Ring.** Deep in Mordor, in the newly completed tower of Barad-dûr, Sauron toils on the One Ring, "One Ring to rule them all", the weapon meant to bring his remaining enemies to their knees.[1](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/entertainment/lord-of-the-rings-rings-of-power-season-3-prime-video) Amazon confirmed before release that Sauron would forge the One Ring this season, and the first promotional image showed [Charlie Vickers](https://www.edgepedia.org/charlie-vickers)' Sauron in a setting resembling Mount Doom.[4](https://www.techradar.com/streaming/amazon-prime-video/prime-video-sets-late-2026-release-date-for-the-rings-of-power-season-3-and-its-unnerving-first-image-teases-something-important-about-charlie-vickers-sauron) The season also introduces the Nazgnagôl, the Second Age forerunners of the Nazgûl, or Ringwraiths.[1](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/entertainment/lord-of-the-rings-rings-of-power-season-3-prime-video)
## Cast and characters
Charlie Vickers (Sauron), [Morfydd Clark](https://www.edgepedia.org/morfydd-clark) ([Galadriel](https://www.edgepedia.org/galadriel)), [Robert Aramayo](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-aramayo) (Elrond), Benjamin Walker (Gil-galad), Daniel Weyman (Gandalf), Owain Arthur (Durin IV), Sophia Nomvete (Disa), Lloyd Owen (Elendil), Maxim Baldry (Isildur), Trystan Gravelle (Pharazôn), Cynthia Addai-Robinson (Míriel), Ismael Cruz Córdova (Arondir), Ciarán Hinds (the Dark Wizard), and Rory Kinnear (Tom Bombadil) return from earlier seasons.[1](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/entertainment/lord-of-the-rings-rings-of-power-season-3-prime-video)
**New characters.** [Jamie Campbell Bower](https://www.edgepedia.org/jamie-campbell-bower) plays Celeborn, Galadriel's long-lost husband; Zubin Varla plays Khamûl, the Easterling of Rhûn; [Eddie Marsan](https://www.edgepedia.org/eddie-marsan) plays Thrain, King Durin IV's older brother; Andrew Richardson plays Anarion, Elendil's younger son; and [Adam Young](https://www.edgepedia.org/adam-young) plays Marnûkh, a mysterious Orc.[1](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/entertainment/lord-of-the-rings-rings-of-power-season-3-prime-video) Simon Pegg voices the Balrog, which showrunner Patrick McKay described as "an intelligent, strategic, dangerous adversary"; Sauron is said to try to learn the Balrog's ability to withstand fire in order to forge the One Ring.[6](https://www.gamesradar.com/news/live/san-diego-comic-con-2026-live-coverage-news-everything-announced-sdcc/)
## Production
Prime Video confirmed the third season on February 13, 2025, announcing that it was in pre-production at the show's new home at [Shepperton Studios](https://www.edgepedia.org/shepperton-studios) in the UK.[3](https://www.tvline.com/news/the-rings-of-power-renewed-season-3-amazon-1235346194/) The production hub had moved there from Bray Studios.[7](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/lotr-rings-of-power-season-3-in-planning-stages-as-showrunners-get-new-deal/1100-6521474/) Filming began on July 30, 2025, announced with a behind-the-scenes teaser showing Sauron's crown being carried onto a set, and wrapped in December 2025.[4](https://www.techradar.com/streaming/amazon-prime-video/prime-video-sets-late-2026-release-date-for-the-rings-of-power-season-3-and-its-unnerving-first-image-teases-something-important-about-charlie-vickers-sauron) Showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay executive produce alongside Lindsey Weber, Justin Doble, Kate Hazell, and Charlotte Brändström.[1](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/entertainment/lord-of-the-rings-rings-of-power-season-3-prime-video)
At [San Diego Comic-Con](https://www.edgepedia.org/san-diego-comic-con) 2026, the season's teaser trailer was unveiled in Hall H, showing the darker tone and Sauron's forging of the One Ring.[1](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/entertainment/lord-of-the-rings-rings-of-power-season-3-prime-video) McKay told ComicBook that the coming episodes would feel, in his framing, more like *Game of Thrones* than *The Lord of the Rings*: "I don't think audiences, even audiences who watched the first two seasons, are really ready for what's coming this time."[8](https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/the-rings-of-power-season-3-sounds-more-like-game-of-thrones-than-lord-of-the-rings/)
## Context and release strategy
The season arrives after a measured decline in the series' audience. Amazon said season 1 was the biggest TV premiere in Prime Video's history and season 2 its most-watched returning season by hours watched.[9](https://www.tvgrapevine.com/lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power-renewed-for-season-three/) At the same time, Nielsen minutes for season 2 fell from about 1.3 billion to 1 billion for the comparable period, and Deadline reported season 2 down about 60% in total minutes watched versus season 1.[10](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/prime-video/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power-season-3)
**A compressed schedule.** The season 3 rollout breaks with the weekly format of earlier seasons: all eight episodes release within three weeks, with four on November 11, two on November 18, and two on November 25.[1](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/entertainment/lord-of-the-rings-rings-of-power-season-3-prime-video) Amazon's announcement at its May 2026 Upfront presentation confirmed the November 11 date.[11](https://www.publicnow.com/view/3F03DB48368DB2D8415EC045DBCDD88E2CA05C04)
## References
1. ['The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 3': Cast, plot, Prime Video release date, and more, About Amazon](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/entertainment/lord-of-the-rings-rings-of-power-season-3-prime-video)
2. [The Rings of Power showrunner confirms there will be no Harfoots in season 3, GamesRadar+](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/lord-of-the-rings-tv-shows/the-rings-of-power-showrunner-confirms-there-will-be-no-harfoots-in-season-3-of-the-lord-of-the-rings-prequel-it-was-time-for-them-to-take-a-little-bit-more-of-a-backseat/)
3. ['The Rings Of Power' Renewed For Season 3 At Amazon, TVLine](https://www.tvline.com/news/the-rings-of-power-renewed-season-3-amazon-1235346194/)
4. [Prime Video sets late 2026 release date for The Rings of Power season 3, TechRadar](https://www.techradar.com/streaming/amazon-prime-video/prime-video-sets-late-2026-release-date-for-the-rings-of-power-season-3-and-its-unnerving-first-image-teases-something-important-about-charlie-vickers-sauron)
5. ['The Rings of Power' Season 3: Cast, Premiere Date, Trailer, Plot, Episodes, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/1154683/)
6. [Everything announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2026, GamesRadar+](https://www.gamesradar.com/news/live/san-diego-comic-con-2026-live-coverage-news-everything-announced-sdcc/)
7. [LOTR: Rings Of Power Season 3 In Planning Stages As Showrunners Get New Deal, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/lotr-rings-of-power-season-3-in-planning-stages-as-showrunners-get-new-deal/1100-6521474/)
8. [The Rings of Power Season 3 Sounds More Like Game of Thrones Than Lord of the Rings, ComicBook.com](https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/the-rings-of-power-season-3-sounds-more-like-game-of-thrones-than-lord-of-the-rings/)
9. [Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Renewed for Season Three, TV Grapevine](https://www.tvgrapevine.com/lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power-renewed-for-season-three/)
10. ['The Rings of Power' season 3: Everything we know so far, Tom's Guide](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/prime-video/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power-season-3)
11. ['The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' Season 3 premieres November 11, Amazon via Public](https://www.publicnow.com/view/3F03DB48368DB2D8415EC045DBCDD88E2CA05C04)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Seasons, episodes, and installments › Screen seasons › Streaming-original series seasons*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license