‘Rings of Power’ Renewed for 3rd Season, Continuing Tolkien’s Epic Legacy
Contrary to social media rumors, Prime Video's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is getting a third season. Prime Video announced the new season Thursday, saying in a news release the series is in pre-production and will begin filming this spring in the project's new production home at Shepperton Studios in the United Kingdom.
Rings of Power is a prequel to the original Lord of the Rings tales, drawing from J.R.R. Tolkien's books and their appendices. It is scheduled for five seasons.
For weeks, rumors had swirled on social media that the series had been canceled.
"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, Amazon MGM Studios. "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."
The series follows Galadriel, an Elven warrior determined to root out the lingering threat of the nefarious Sauron, as it explores the rise of evil in Middle-earth and the forging of the Rings of Power. The series includes races central to Tolkien's world, including dwarves and harfoots. Season 3 will leap forward several years from the events of the previous season and will take place "at the height of the war of the elves and Sauron, as the dark lord seeks to craft the one ring" that would allow him to be victorious," Prime Video said.
The series has attracted more than 170 million viewers worldwide and "continues to be one of Amazon's strongest drivers for new Prime membership sign-ups," the news release said.
"Season One remains the biggest TV premiere in the history of Prime Video and Season Two the most-watched returning season by hours watched," the news release said.
It is produced by showrunners and executive producers J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay.
McKay previously told Crosswalk Headlines that the series is "profoundly faith-based."
"There's a great quote that we discovered where Tolkien talked about [how] he's always interested in writing something that is universal and timeless. He doesn't want it to be a one-to-one allegory," McKay told Crosswalk Headlines. "And he talked about how when he was writing the book, it was a Catholic work, unconsciously, because of his own faith -- but then in revisions, consciously."
"And I think the way that we see that in the books, and the way that we hopefully have translated over to the series, is that the themes are profoundly faith-based," McKay added.
Rings of Power is rated TV-14.
"We're dealing with good and evil," McKay said. "We're dealing with the fall, fallibility of man. We're dealing with temptation. And in Sauron, we have a character that we very much see as an analog with [John] Milton's Satan [in Paradise Lost]. This is the tempter and the seducer and the deceiver, and he's pure evil, but he's complexly evil. We've worked very hard to hopefully bring that to life in a way that honors those themes, going back to the books."
Meanwhile, McKay said the series will remain family-friendly.
"We like the idea that a family could watch this show," McKay said. "It is going to be dark and scary at times, as the books are, and we're dealing in life and death. Characters die in this show, and it goes quite dark in places, quite psychological in places, but it's never going to do so in a way that's exploitative, or that will be cheap or cynical."
Photo Credit: ©Prime Video
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Listen to Michael's Podcast! He is the host of Crosswalk Talk, a podcast where he talks with Christian movie stars, musicians, directors, and more. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment. You can find Crosswalk Talk on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an interview that will be sure to encourage your faith.
Originally published February 14, 2025.
