Everything We Already Know About The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power Season 3

"The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" is returning for a third season. When will it be back? As of this writing, we don't know yet. (Sorry, folks. Had to rip that Band-Aid off quickly.) However, there are a lot of things we do already know about the next installment in Prime Video's planned five-season romp through Second Age Middle-earth. As a quick recap, let's remember where season 2 left off (broad strokes version).

Season 2 ended with turmoil breaking out on the island nation of Númenor as Ar-Pharazôn moved from a political coup toward an outright forced takeover. On the mainland, Sauron destroyed the Elven city of Eregion, killed Celebrimbor and Adar, captured the newly minted Nine Rings, and assumed command of his new Orc legions. The Elves gathered in what is likely the future location of Rivendell and planned their comeback, while the Dwarves reeled after losing their king to an angry balrog. Meanwhile, in the far eastern region of Rhûn, the Stoors left their ruined ancestral homes to head toward their Harfoot relations, and the Stranger discovered that he is in fact the Grand-elf Gandalf.

As the curtain came down on season 2, the show's story had finally reached a boiling point — one that will likely boil over further if the early indications of season 3 have anything to say about it. From showrunner updates to filming locations, story elements to source material, and a key update on the final forging of the One Ring to Rule them all, here's everything we know so far about "The Rings of Power" season 3.

Let's start with an official confirmation of the obvious stuff. First, the show is confirmed for a third season. This might sound like a given, but it actually wasn't until mid-February — nearly five months after the season 2 finale — that Prime Video sent out the confirmation that season 3 was in the works. According to a press release sent directly to this humble /Film contributor, as of February 13, 2025:

"Today, Prime Video confirmed Season Three of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is in pre-production."

There it is. Straight from the horse's mouth, folks. On top of that, showrunners JD Payne and Patrick McKay will be back to helm season 3. Ironically, that part isn't news at all. All the way back in February 2024, the studio confirmed that the dynamic duo had renewed their contract and had "started to break the initial story outline" for season 3. Looks like "McPayne," as they're referred to by members of the Tolkien fandom, will be carrying their five-act, five-season story forward at least to the 60% mark for certain.

Prime Video's press release came replete with a list of the directors signed on to helm the various episodes (about eight if it follows the pattern of the first two seasons — although that hasn't been confirmed). At the moment, the director's role call consists of three names.

Charlotte Brändström ("Shōgun," "The Witcher") will be the executive producer and director of the entire third season. She has already co-executive produced and directed multiple episodes from both of the first two seasons, as well.

Joining Brändström in her return is Sanaa Hamri ("The Wheel of Time," "Empire"). Hamri was heavily involved in directing season 2 of "The Rings of Power." The third and new addition to the group is Stefan Schwartz, who enters the project with multiple high-profile credits, including work on "The Boys," "The Walking Dead," "Luther," and "The Americans." All three directors are confirmed to oversee multiple episodes each in season 3.

Like so many other modern Middle-earth projects, "The Rings of Power" started its journey in New Zealand. After a covid-strapped season 1, the show made waves by deciding to ditch the Land of the Long White Cloud to pack everything up and sail around the world to the UK. There, it filmed season 2 in Bray Studios west of London, but its quest wasn't over yet. That's right: The show is moving, yet again, for season 3.

This time, though, it is going to stick closer to home, moving a mere half an hour away from Bray Studios to its new home at Shepperton Studios. Again, this isn't entirely unexpected. In February 2024, when the showrunners were confirmed for season 3, the report also stated, "It is expected that when the time comes to go into production on season 3, 'The Rings of Power' will move from Bray Studios to a brand new production facility at nearby Shepperton Studios in the UK."

A year later, as Prime Video finally confirmed season 3, it added that season 3 would be made in what was referred to as its "new production home" at Shepperton Studios outside of London. We even have an approximate window for filming, which should be in the spring of 2025.

On the same day season 3 was officially announced, The Hollywood Reporter added a bombshell logline it had obtained about where things will pick up in the next season:

"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."

There is a lot to unpack here, but let's start with the time jump. The chronology of "The Rings of Power" story has been one of the most challenging elements when it comes to the source material. Season 1 changed the Tolkien timeline by rearranging the order of the forging of the Rings of Power. Season 2 had to adjust when Sauron is masquerading in Eregion as Annatar.

The biggest deviation, though, has been the general condensing of the 3,500-year Second Age timeline into a single series of events. This was admittedly necessary to tell a comprehensive storyline that doesn't kill off its main characters faster than you can say, "Aragorn used to be a Hobbit." Nevertheless, the time adjustment has forced JD Payne and Patrick McKay to warp the source material to fit their story — without a significant break through the first two seasons. At the very least, allowing for a few years gap in the story will give the pretense that some kind of significant quantity of time is passing, even if it's in years rather than millennia.

Another big part of the "Rings of Power" season 3 logline is the bit about the War of the Elves and Sauron. This is a critical juncture in the Second Age chronology. In the source material, it comes after Sauron dupes the Elves into forging the Rings of Power and then discovers that he cannot control them using the One Ring. "The Silmarillion" says, "But he, finding that he was betrayed and that the Elves were not deceived, was filled with wrath; and he came against them with open war, demanding that all the rings should be delivered to him, since the Elven-smiths could not have attained to their making without his lore and counsel."

This leads to nearly a decade of war — one that starts with Sauron overrunning Eregion, killing Celebrimbor, and forcing the survivors to flee north and found Rivendell. Those three things have already happened (again, admittedly out of order) in the show, but the years of knock-down, drag-out war that follow are just about to unfold. They are dripping with desperate last stands, heroic eucatastrophes (Tolkien's word for hope born of last-minute salvation), and one of Sauron's most successful periods of conquest in his entire career as a power-hungry warlord. Expect season 3 to be a banger, folks.

The last tidbit from the logline is arguably the biggest: The Dark Lord is about to craft the One Ring to rule them all. With the Nine Rings in his possession, the Three Elven Rings at large, and the Seven Rings in the hands of the Dwarves, Sauron will set his season 3 gaze on forging a piece of jewelry capable of controlling the lot.

Based on the description, we can safely guess that the showrunners are going to stick to their alternate timeline where Sauron is coming up with Rings of Power as he attacks his foes (rather than beforehand). So, don't expect a One Ring hot off the press with the opening credits. Chances are, we'll see the process drawn out throughout the season as the newly christened Lord of the Rings looks to cement his hand-crafted, overpowered artisanship through a single Ring that will define the next age and a half of Middle-earth history.

The Dark Wizard was a new character in season 2. Played by Ciarán Hinds, the mysterious magic wielder in Rhûn remained unidentified at the end of the season, and we can expect that to continue to figure into the season 3 plot.

While we don't know the name of the Dark Wizard yet, though, we already have at least a little clarity on who he isn't. When Vanity Fair asked if the Dark Wizard was Saruman, showrunner Patrick McKay definitively stated, "I'll say something on the record. Given the history of Middle-earth, it would be highly, highly, highly improbable that this could be Saruman." JD Payne added, "If not impossible." McKay even went so far as to say that it would "almost defy the laws of gravity and physics for it to be Saruman," before Payne added, "There's Radagast the Brown and then there's two blue wizards — and that's all we'll say." 

So, yeah. We know basically for certain that the Dark Wizard isn't Saruman. Who he actually is, though, remains a question we'll have to leave for later in the show's story.