The Rings of Power season 2 isn't out yet, but Amazon has all but confirmed a third season is on the way

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 doesn't have a release date yet, but Amazon has seemingly confirmed that a third installment is in early development.

Yesterday (February 28), The Hollywood Reporter (THR) revealed that, even though Amazon hasn't officially greenlit a third season, work on the high-fantasy Prime Video series' likely next entry has effectively begun. A writers room is yet to be set up, but The Rings of Power's showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay are believed to be outlining season 3's initial story. An Amazon spokesperson declined to comment further on The Rings of Power season 3 when approached by TechRadar.

The confirmation came as part of a wider announcement that Payne and McKay have signed a new three-year deal with Amazon MGM Studios, and that the pair have launched their own company titled 10:40PM Productions. THR's article also claims that The Rings of Power season 2 will be released later in 2024.

In a statement accompanying the reveal, Amazon's Head of Television Vernon Sanders said: "We began this remarkable journey with J.D. and Patrick more than five and a half years ago and have never looked back. We continue to be amazed by the scope and scale of their vision and the enormous global success achieved by The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power in its record-breaking first season.

"We can’t wait for Prime Video customers to experience the epic adventure and high-stakes drama that J.D. and Patrick are continuing to build throughout season two and beyond. Naturally, the studio is thrilled to extend our overall deal with these brilliant creative minds as they continue to deliver on their passion for great storytelling."

Forging ahead with a huge Prime Video hit

We should have known that season 2 wouldn't be the show's final entry. When it premiered on Amazon's primary streaming platform in September 2022, The Rings of Power broke new ground for one of the world's best streaming services. 

Indeed, its two-episode premiere holds the record as the most-streamed opening for a TV show in Prime Video history. AS THR notes, it's also the most-watched Amazon TV Original ever (a position originally held by The Boys) and ranked among the most popular shows on Nielsen's streaming chart throughout its season 1 run. Clearly, Amazon is bullish about the ongoing success of its Lord of the Rings prequel series, hence the reported decision to move forward with another installment.

The Rings of Power's first season, which we hailed as "a magnificently magical and mystical return to Middle-earth", wasn't universally loved by long-time fans of J.R.R. Tolkien's legendary fantasy works (which the Prime Video show is based on), though. Large parts of The Lord of the Rings' devote fanbase took exception to how Amazon's TV adaptation played fast and loose with Middle-earth's illustrious history, and the fact that it's a prequel series that's not officially canon in The Lord of the Rings universe didn't stop diehards review-bombing it on Rotten Tomatoes, with its 38% audience rating suggesting that it's not viewed as one of the best Prime Video shows in many people's eyes.

Given its poor audience reception, it remains to be seen if The Rings of Power will continue to attract viewers with its second season; it if fails to do so, those season 3 plans might be consigned to the scrap heap before filming even begins. But, with the show's cast and crew claiming that The Rings of Power will forge closer ties to The Lord of the Rings books next season, a more faithful adaptation might do enough to address Tolkienites' concerns and turn the show's fortunes around – in which case you can bet on Amazon greenlighting season 3 as soon as possible.

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