THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RINGS OF POWER Renewed for Season 3; Story Will Jump Ahead Several Years
Prime Video ha renewed The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power for a third season. When this series was first announced it came with a five season commitment, but like most shows, the ratings have to be strong to keep going.
It’s great to see thet this J.R.R. Tolkien fantasy series is continuing to do well enough to get another season. Season 2 ended with some pretty big cliffhangers, so I’m happy that we’ll get to see the story continue.
The last season concluded with Sauron (Charlie Vickers) gathering together an army of orcs and defeating the elves at their stronghold Eregion. Then you have the elves and dwarves standing united against the dark lord, and they have their own powerful rings to stand against him.
The synopsis for Season 3 reads: "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."
Vernon Sanders, head of television for Amazon MGM Studios said in a statement: “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power continues to captivate audiences worldwide, and we’re thrilled that a third season is underway.
“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 third season is now in pre-production at its new home base, Shepperton Studios just outside London, and it will start shooting this spring.
The series takes place “thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and will take viewers back to an era in which great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and fell to ruin, unlikely heroes were tested, hope hung by the finest of threads, and the greatest villain that ever flowed from Tolkien's pen threatened to cover all the world in darkness.
“Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth.
“From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone.”
In Season 2, “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.”
The series is being lead by showrunners and executive producers J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay. Charlotte Brändström, who was a co-executive producer and directed multiple episodes in Seasons 1 and 2, will be an executive producer and director for the third season. Sanaa Hamri will also return to direct, with veteran director Stefan Schwartz joining the series as well.