On February 13, 2025, the announcement landed that The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 3 was happening. The timing, just after season 2 wrapped, was no accident. Reports say the crew was already moving months before the public reveal. Some point to filming in May 2025. Then, on July 30, Prime Video pushed out a short behind-the-scenes teaser. A few quick shots, a focus on Sauron, and the feeling that the story was heading into darker ground.
This return to Middle-earth is framed by what the last finale left behind. Nothing feels settled. Alliances fractured, shadows growing, a sense that the Second Age is about to turn a corner. Even without an official release date, the air around the production feels heavy with what is coming.
No schedule has been locked in by the studio for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 3. GamesRadar did the math based on season 2’s gap between filming and launch, close to 20 months, and landed on April 2027 as a likely mark. A guess, of course. If editing moves quicker, it could surface sooner.

Where the story left off
Season 2 closed with Annatar’s mask gone, revealing Sauron. The Nine Rings for Men in his grasp, an orc army under his banner. One scene, more than others, stays in focus: Sauron holding Fëanor’s hammer while still in Annatar’s shape. Many read it as a quiet signal toward forging the One Ring in Mordor. It has not been confirmed, yet it fits too well with the known lore to ignore. In The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 3, these events set the tone for what comes next.
The elves are in bad shape. The Siege of Eregion left them cut down in numbers, but not in resolve. Galadriel is still marked by the wound that almost took her life. It has not slowed her enough to keep her from standing alongside Elrond and Gil-galad, weighing what comes next and how to meet it. The conversations are sharper now, plans shifting as the threat grows. Gandalf, once only the Stranger, carries his staff like someone who has decided where to go, even if the road will put him in the path of both the Dark Wizard and Sauron.
In The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 3, the focus does not stay in one place for long. The view drifts to other lands, other people, as their own battles and choices start to take form. The Harfoots, walking their own path, remain a question mark. Khazad-dûm mourns King Durin’s death while the Balrog stirs. Númenor turns in on itself with Pharazôn calling Míriel’s allies traitors and Elendil leaving with Narsil. In the Southlands, groups of humans, including Isildur, head for the island kingdom.
Expected and confirmed cast members
Most main players are expected to return for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 3. `Charlie Vickers as Sauron. Morfydd Clark as Galadriel. Robert Aramayo, Benjamin Walker, Daniel Weyman, Sophia Nomvete, Owain Arthur, Lloyd Owen, Maxim Baldry, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Tyroe Muhafidin, Markella Kavenagh, Megan Richards, Ciarán Hinds, and Rory Kinnear. The list feels familiar, tied to where their stories stopped.
Prime Video has confirmed some fresh faces. Jamie Campbell Bower joins as a series regular, Eddie Marsan in a recurring part, and Andrew Richardson as a regular, with Adam Young and Zubin Varla also in recurring roles. Who they are playing is still under wraps.

Anticipated narrative directions
Several threads in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 3 are likely to move forward. One is the regrouping of the elves in the face of Sauron’s rising power. Another, drawn from Tolkien’s own timeline, is the founding of Rivendell after Eregion’s fall. The stretch of time before the Nazgûl appear remains open ground, and the show may use it to add new conflicts and alliances.
Charlie Vickers has mentioned that the link between Sauron and Galadriel will remain important. Two forces are opposite in aim, yet bound in a way the story has no reason to cut.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 3 release date and promotional material
Right now, April 2027 sits as an informed projection, not a promise. No trailer exists. The behind-the-scenes teaser from late July 2025 is the only moving look at the new season. With production active, more glimpses should arrive in stages.
The show will stream exclusively on Prime Video, continuing its global reach there.

Closing view
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 3 is shaping into a pivot point. It carries the fallout of what came before, the draw of new characters, and the chance to explore moments in the Second Age that have been little more than notes in the larger history. That mix, known and unknown, confirmed and withheld, is what makes this next chapter stand out before it even arrives.