The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power Announces Season 3 Premiere Date; Sauron Returns In First Look

The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power Announces Season 3 Premiere Date; Sauron Returns In First Look

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will return for its third season this November, and we have a first look at Charlie Vickers as the returning Dark Lord...

By MarkCassidy - May 12, 2026 07:05 AM EST
Filed Under: Lord of the Rings
Source: Via SFF Gazette.com

Amazon Prime Video announced that The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will return for its third season on November 11 during the streamer's upfront presentation to advertisers on Monday.

Season 2 concluded with the fall of Eregion, the death of Celebrimbor, and Sauron solidifying his power by retrieving the nine rings that will ultimately be worn by the Nazgul. We also saw "The Stranger" embrace his identity as Galdalf the Grey, while Galadriel and the Elves retreat to establish Rivendell.

Season 3 will pick up several years after these events 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.

We also have a first look at Charlie Vickers as the returning Dark Lord.

"From the very beginning, this series has embodied the scale, ambition, and cinematic storytelling that define Prime Video’s biggest global series,” Amazon MGM Studios’ Global Television Head Peter Friedlander said in a statement. “The extraordinary response from millions of fans around the world has made it clear that this journey through Middle-earth continues to resonate, and that momentum has only grown heading into Season Three.”

"'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' continues to captivate audiences worldwide, and we’re thrilled that a third season is underway," said Vernon Sanders, head of television for Amazon MGM Studios when the third season was announced. "The creative team has an extraordinary vision of what’s to come with stories that have left us enchanted and enthralled. We look forward to continuing this epic journey, for our global customers, delving even deeper into the legendary tales that shaped Middle-earth."

"Sauron has returned. Cast out by Galadriel, without army or ally, the rising Dark Lord must now rely on his own cunning to rebuild his strength and oversee the creation of the Rings of Power, which will allow him to bind all the peoples of Middle-earth to his sinister will."

"Building on Season 1’s epic scope and ambition, Season 2 of Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power plunges even its most beloved and vulnerable characters into a rising tide of darkness, challenging each to find their place in a world that is increasingly on the brink of calamity."

"Elves and dwarves, orcs and men, wizards and Harfoots... as friendships are strained and kingdoms begin to fracture, the forces of good will struggle ever more valiantly to hold on to what matters to them most of all.. each other."

Returning cast members include Morfydd Clark, Benjamin Walker, Charles Edwards, Charlie Vickers, Markella Kavenagh, Nazanin Boniadi, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Tyroe Muhafidin, Maxim Baldry, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Owain Arthur, Trystan Gravelle, Ema Horvath, Sophia Nomvete, Megan Richards, Dylan Smith, Leon Wadham, Daniel Weyman, and Sara Zwangobani.

Sam Hazeldine (Peaky Blinders) replaced Joseph Mawle as Adar, with Ciarán Hinds (Game of Thrones), Rory Kinnear (Penny Dreadful), and Tanya Moodie (The Man Who Fell to Earth) joining season 2 in key roles.

About The Author:
MarkCassidy
Member Since 11/9/2008
Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.
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harryba11zack
harryba11zack - 5/12/2026, 7:35 AM

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OrgasmicPotatoe
OrgasmicPotatoe - 5/12/2026, 7:38 AM
@harryba11zack - Iconic
HashTagSwagg
HashTagSwagg - 5/12/2026, 7:44 AM
@OrgasmicPotatoe - User Comment Image
IcePyke
IcePyke - 5/12/2026, 7:50 AM
@harryba11zack -
@OrgasmicPotatoe -

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OrgasmicPotatoe
OrgasmicPotatoe - 5/12/2026, 7:56 AM
@HashTagSwagg - User Comment Image
TheRevelation
TheRevelation - 5/12/2026, 10:47 AM
@harryba11zack - I don't know who that is.

User Comment Image

User Comment Image

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TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 5/12/2026, 7:41 AM
Sweet , looking forward to S3 since I have liked the show overall (S2>S1)!!.

Charlie Vickers has absolutely crushed the role of Sauron so can’t wait to see more of his charismatic & manipulative self…

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Also give me more Durin & Elrond together and I’ll be a happy camper too then!!.
SteviesRightFoo
SteviesRightFoo - 5/12/2026, 7:55 AM
The gall of these untalented hacks to put lord of the rings in the title of this sacriligious garbage. This trash has no resemblance to tolkien whatsoever
Fogs
Fogs - 5/12/2026, 12:56 PM
@SteviesRightFoo - BUT WAIT IT HAS GOOD CGI
RebelCommander
RebelCommander - 5/12/2026, 1:19 PM
@Fogs - Then that's all that matters to today's audiences
BadgerThorkin
BadgerThorkin - 5/12/2026, 8:05 AM
They need to just stop, already. The garbage they produce for this series is not Tolkien, it's not liked, it's borderline heresy for Tolkien fans.
bobevanz
bobevanz - 5/12/2026, 8:26 AM
What an expensive fanfic
JustAWaffle
JustAWaffle - 5/12/2026, 8:45 AM
I hate that this show exists.

Every frame of ROP reeks of executive-class narcissism, the smug confidence of careerists who inherited one of the last great mythic worlds of the modern age and fed it through the aesthetic machinery of soulless boardrooms, diversity quotas, sterile streaming algorithms, and the kind of "more money than they know what to do with" mediocrity that couldn't tell you for a moment what made Tolkien's world special.
DocSpock
DocSpock - 5/12/2026, 9:47 AM
@JustAWaffle -

You got that right Napolean.
MrDandy
MrDandy - 5/12/2026, 9:18 AM
Oh goodie. One of the most expensive worst shows on streaming returns.
DocSpock
DocSpock - 5/12/2026, 9:46 AM
@MrDandy -

Yup. Barf.
MarkCassidy
MarkCassidy - 5/12/2026, 9:20 AM
I'll never not be amused by the amount of hate this show gets. It has some problems, sure, but overall I think it's very well made.
Fogs
Fogs - 5/12/2026, 12:37 PM
@MarkCassidy - I guess it depends on what one considers "well".
Juicebox316
Juicebox316 - 5/12/2026, 12:43 PM
@MarkCassidy - As someone who enjoys the show for what it is, I agree with you. Is it flawed? Yes. Do I wish they would have stuck closer to the stories as described in the appendices (some characters overlapping when that would be impossible based on the texts)? Also yes. Do I prefer the books and movie triliogy to this? Without question. But the visuals are stunning and they are trying to stuff the entire 2nd Age in to five seasons. The Tolkien estate is actively involved in the development, so they're okay with it. Idk, I get it if you don't like it. That's cool. You wanted something more accurate, also cool. But everyone is so f*cking insufferable about everything.

I'm looking forward to seeing what they'll do with this season.
SteviesRightFoo
SteviesRightFoo - 5/12/2026, 2:26 PM
@MarkCassidy - are you familiar with the works of tolkien at all?
ManofSteel23
ManofSteel23 - 5/12/2026, 9:27 AM
I must admit I am one for wanting more and more of my favourite thing but LOTR films are a trilogy i hold so precious to my childhood and growing up that I feel they are tarnishing its meaning and legacy, I could let the hobbit films pass and add to it but anything now like this series and this new gollom movie I just dont look forward to at all
supermanrex
supermanrex - 5/12/2026, 9:44 AM
im glad to see this coming back for season 3. gonna be fun watching haters cry all season when it premieres.
DocSpock
DocSpock - 5/12/2026, 9:50 AM

The show is terrible. These are my favorite books all time, and I thought I would never refuse to consume anything LoTR, but I was wrong.

I won't watch any more of this junk.
Fogs
Fogs - 5/12/2026, 12:40 PM
@DocSpock - i managed to watch 3 episodes. That was the limit of my forces.
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 5/12/2026, 10:02 AM
Off topic:
@RorMachine

New Details about Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” revealed…

Samantha Morton confirmed to be playing Circe.

Lupita Nyong’o is playing Helen of Troy aswell as Clymenestra.

No actors have been cast as gods in the film.

https://time.com/article/2026/05/12/christopher-nolan-odyssey-interview/
MrDandy
MrDandy - 5/12/2026, 10:32 AM
“Momentum has only grown going into season three…” is that why your viewership has be halved with each season?
OrgasmicPotatoe
OrgasmicPotatoe - 5/12/2026, 10:45 AM
@MrDandy - I assume they'd rather die than admit one of their thinly-veiled propaganda piece is failing.
Fogs
Fogs - 5/12/2026, 12:42 PM
If you can't stand this series do yourself a favor and watch this.

This is pure gold.

Fogs
Fogs - 5/12/2026, 1:01 PM
The best thing about abominations like Rings of Power and the myriad of lousy sequels, prequels and soft reboot of greater IPS is the fact that it is causing such a dissatisfaction right in the exact period where AI is getting really impressive, to the point we will see, sooner than later, some very interesting good stuff coming from the fans.

I just can't [frick]ing wait for my Túrin Turambar webseries or whatever to come true.

It. Will. Happen.
OrgasmicPotatoe
OrgasmicPotatoe - 5/12/2026, 2:54 PM
@Fogs - We might be on the verge of seeing the first good thing gen a.i. slop does !

?si=5ADQ9ixp10Clu-Iq
Fogs
Fogs - 5/12/2026, 4:26 PM
@OrgasmicPotatoe - Lol. One day this will be considered a classic.
marvel72
marvel72 - 5/12/2026, 4:27 PM
3 seasons? No matter how bad this shit gets,they still continue to curl out a steaming turd season after season.

They have too much money to waste.

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