‘The Rings of Power’ season 3 is confirmed to premiere in 2026

The Eye of Sauron draws ever closer.

For months, there's been a rumor that the divisive (and expensive) Amazon Prime TV series The Rings of Power wouldn’t be released until 2027, but The Hollywood Reporter says it has confirmation that it is coming out later this year, in 2026.

"A source close to production tells The Hollywood Reporter it'll be a little sooner than [2027]," the outlet writes.

Better late than never, we say. Waiting two years between seasons has been the name of the game with this production. Season 2 came out in 2024, two years after the show's debut.

So what do we know about the new season?

The show, which is set in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth, jumps 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,” the synopsis reads.

We know Charlie Vickers will return as Sauron, while Morfydd Clark will be back as Galadriel and Robert Aramayo will be back as Elrond. Newcomers will include Stranger Things' Jamie Campbell Bower, Ray Donovan‘s Eddie Marsan, Andrew Richardson, Zubin Varla and Adam Young.

Amazon released a season wrap video featuring Campbell Bower and others in December.

While the series has an overall rating of 84% on Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 48% rating on its Popcornmeter (all audiences, not just critics), which really highlights the show’s divided fanbase. Its cinematography, costuming, casting and more have been praised, but many fans say it falls short with too much exposition, frustrating character choices and some departure from Tolkien’s original story. Personally, I’ve yelled at the TV screen during both seasons and I'm not sure I want to invest in another one.

Despite that, it’s still on to run for five seasons with a $1 billion budget. Stay tuned here for an official release date.