We haven’t even gotten Season 2 of Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, and it seems like Season 3 is already in the works. The series, which is a prequel to Lord of the Rings, aired its first season during the fall of 2022. It quickly began working on Season 2, and now fans are waiting for its release date to be revealed. While we don’t know if the fantasy series will be premiering its sophomore installment on the 2023 TV schedule, we might have just figured out that the show has already started working on Season 3, here’s why.
Over on X (formerly Twitter), @Canby_11 noticed a production call for “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power 03.” The series is among many listed in Production Weekly’s August 9 posting, which included other productions like Squid Game and “Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin 02,” which was canceled in September after being renewed. All these productions are things we knew about, and they are (or were) expected to come out in the next year or so. With that in mind, does this mean ROP Season 3 is on the way?
Looks like ROP s3 is already in pre-production. Was listed on Production Weekly in mid-August. It's a subscription publication for people in working in the industry to let them know what is going into production, where and when. pic.twitter.com/OYW9sTCb88September 28, 2023
For reference, Production Weekly is a “subscription data service that delivers news and updates on film and television productions,” per their website. It makes it so people can find jobs on productions and “plan sales campaigns.” This list of productions shows which series and movies are starting to look for their crew. It would appear that Amazon is starting to work on Season 3 of Rings of Power, even though its second installment still doesn't have a release date.
For context, Amazon committed to making five seasons, or 50 hours, or Rings of Power. It was a $250 million deal they struck with the Tolkien estate in 2017. Head of Amazon Studios, Jennifer Salke spoke to Variety about this deal, and how Season 1 was building infrastructure for the four installment to come, she said:
We’re building infrastructure for five seasons. We’re building a small city. We were always going to spend what we needed to spend to get it right. I’m fortunate to be working at this company where we want to be financially disciplined, but nobody wanted to compromise on what this would be visually. I think it was all money really well spent. If you look at how people are reacting to the visual experience of the show, that’s been overwhelmingly positive.
While we don’t really know if Season 3 is on the way just yet, it seems like a safe bet to assume that we won’t have to wait years for it.
Season 1 of Rings of Power caused a lot of conversation, and theories were flying left and right after the finale. Very main characters from Lord of the Rings are already involved now, like Galadriel and Sauron, and there are hints that others, like Gandalf, could come into the show later. So, the five-season game plan is in full effect, and they are acting on it swiftly, as we're already starting to get some info about Rings Of Power Season 2.
Also, it’s well known that the Lord of the Rings prequel series’ budget was gobsmackingly huge, and according to Time, it was “the most expensive show ever made.” It shows too. This series is a massive investment for Amazon, and they’ve shown they’re willing to pay to make it as amazing as they can.
That seemed to pay off with their freshman season, as they used practical effects to pull off the Mount Doom eruption, and they brought together a massive ensemble cast on humongous sets to create the elaborate world of Middle-earth. Amazon’s boss considered ROP a big win, and it’s been reported that Season 2 of the LOTR prequel will be bigger than the first. With so much time, money and effort put into this show, it makes sense that it might be moving forward with Season 3 before the second installment even comes out.
At the moment, we don’t know when Season 2 of Rings of Power will come out. However, it was reported that they were still filming as the writers’ strike began earlier this year, per Variety. With that in mind, it’s likely that the series will appear on the 2024 TV schedule.
While we wait for Season 2, which we know we’re getting in the near future, we’ll also keep you posted on Season 3 as it supposedly enters development. In the meantime, you can stream Season 1 of Rings of Power with an Amazon Prime subscription.
