Like Sauron himself, Prime Video's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has been biding its time in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to reveal new details for its upcoming third season. That time is at an end. Today, The Rings of Power season 3 dropped its first teaser as part of a panel at San Diego Comic Con, revealing just what this next chapter of Middle-earth will entail.
Five years have passed since the fall of Eregion in season 2, and Sauron has been busy. Check him out in the teaser below, decked out in all his villainous glory:
Beyond the obvious (and welcome) focus on Sauron (Charlie Vickers) ruling with an iron fist from his stronghold of Barad-dûr in Morder, this teaser contains a lot of intriguing hints about where The Rings of Power is headed in season 3. We see Nazgnagôl terrorizing humans, Dwarves, and Elves alike — those seem to be proto-Nazûl, which is an interesting addition the show is making this season. The Stranger (Daniel Weyman), now revealed to be Gandalf, seems to be meeting up with another wizard played by Game of Thrones alum Ciarán Hinds. Elendil (Lloyd Owen) is leading an army against some unknown foe. And Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) is reunited with her long-lost husband, Celeborn, played by none other than Jamie Campbell Bower, Vecna a.k.a. One a.k.a. Henry Creel from Stranger Things.
Look, I'm not saying that Celeborn is keeping a dark secret...but it's also very hard not to think he might be when you cast someone like Jamie Campbell Bower to play him. Either Celeborn has some agenda, or the actor behind Vecna is bucking his future as a villain type cast. Either way, I want to know more!
There's a lot going on in Middle-earth this season, which feels right for where we are in the story. It's been confirmed that Sauron will forge the One Ring in season 3, which means we're heading into one of the most iconic parts in all of Tolkien's rich lore for his expansive fantasy world and its history. This makes the stakes even higher than previous seasons, but on-screen and off.
This new teaser and SDCC event came with a slew of casting announcements as well. In addition to Campbell Bower and Andor's Zubin Varla, who plays Khamûl the Easterling from the land of Rhun, the show has added Eddie Marsan as King Durin IV's older brother, Thrain; Andrew Richardson as Elendil's younger son (and Isildur's brother), Anarion; and Adam Young as Marnûkh, a "myserious orc who may not be what he seems." We see a few scenes of Marnûkh in the teaser, leading Galadriel and Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova) toward Mordor, so I'd say definitely don't trust that orc!
Simon Pegg will also play the Balrog, who will have speaking lines for the first time ever in the franchise. That's certainly a choice, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous the Balrog might crack some cheesy one-liners. At the same time, Pegg is phenomenal at creature voices — check out his work as the skesis Chamberlain in The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance for undeniable proof — so I'm willing to reserve judgement for now.
Here's the official description for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 3:
In Season Three, Middle-earth is at war. Five years have passed since the fall of Eregion. Sauron's armies have marched across the whole of the world, conquering all in their path. Only a few isolated pockets stand between the Dark Lord and total victory — Khazad-Dûm, where the Dwarves are now sealed deep within their mountain halls, and the elven realms of Lindon and Rivendell, which are protected by their Three Rings. But deep in the land of Mordor, in his newly completed tower of Barad-dûr, the Dark Lord toils day and night, obsessed with harnessing a power that will bring the last of his enemies to their knees: One Ring to rule them all... Now, all the free peoples of Middle-earth — Dwarves, Elves, Men, and Wizards alike — must find a way to come together, in a race against time to prevent Sauron from achieving his goal of utter domination of all life.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 3 release schedule
The last bit of information that's worth noting from today's announcements is the release schedule for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 3, which is now confirmed. The first four episodes will drop on Wednesday, November 11, 2026. Episodes 305 and 306 will follow on November 18, and then the final two episodes of the season will drop on November 25, just before Thanksgiving in the U.S.
Streamers love to shake things up with their release schedules, but it's insane to me that Prime Video wants to burn through an entire season of what is supposed to be one of their biggest shows in one month, rather than stretching it into the start of the holidays. I can only assume this is to really ensure that people re-subscribe to Prime Video in droves on the show's premiere day or something of that nature, but still, considering the gargantuan monetary investment the studio has made in the series, I'll never understand why they don't want to capitalize on its run as long as possible once they actually have the finished episodes in hand.
But hey, maybe there's some legitimate storytelling reason for these episode blocks as well, like there was with season 2 of Andor. We'll know when we get to watch!
For now, mark your calendars for November 11, when we return to Middle-earth for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 3.
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