The Rings of Power season 3 is officially in the works for Prime Video – and the hit Amazon show's next entry will feature a big time jump

• Amazon has officially announced that The Rings of Power season 3 is in the works
• The popular high fantasy show's next entry will start filming in early 2025 and feature a major time jump
• Returning directors Charlotte Brändström and Sanaa Hamri will be joined by Stefan Schwartz on the filmmakers' roster

The Rings of Power season 3 is officially in development at Amazon MGM Studios.

In one of the most unsurprising reveals of 2025 so far, Prime Video's biggest TV Original is set to deliver more high-fantasy thrills and spills in another installment. Principal photography is set to begin this spring (that's autumn for southern hemisphere readers) and, per season 3's official logline, it'll "jump forward several years" from its predecessor. The War of the Elves and Sauron will be in full swing by the start of next season, then, while the creation of a certain ring will be well underway.

The announcement, made today (February 13), confirms that Amazon is moving ahead with a third chapter of its Lord of the Rings prequel series but, truthfully, the show's renewal has been a foregone conclusion for some time.

Six months have passed since The Rings of Power season 2 debuted on our screens, so some viewers might have started to worry that Prime Video's most expensive series would become the latest program to be canceled before its time. However, speaking to me ahead of season 2's launch, showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay told me that they "were already working" on season 3, so I was always convinced it would return.

Admittedly, the work undertaken on The Rings of Power's next season didn't guarantee that one of the best Prime Video shows would be renewed. Nevertheless, the confidence displayed by Payne and McKay during our conversation, coupled with the amount of script work being conducted half a year ago, means another trip to Middle-earth was far more likely than not.

In an Amazon MGM Studios statement accompanying the reveal, Head of TV Vernon Sanders said: "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."

While there were no cast announcements, newcomers or otherwise, Amazon confirmed that next season's likely eight-episode installment will be helmed by three directors. Charlotte Brändström and Samaa Hamri, who oversaw multiple episodes for season 2, return as part of the filmmaking team. They'll be joined by Stefan Schwartz, a veteran of film and TV whose credits include Luther, Fear the Walking Dead, and My Lady Jane. As I mentioned, filming will begin sooner rather than later, and, like season 2, it'll be shot at the Amazon-owned Shepperton Studios in the UK.

Need a refresher on what happened in The Rings of Power's second outing on one of the world's best streaming services? You'll want to read my ending explainer on The Rings of Power season 2 to see how it sets up the show's next entry. And, if you're searching for more news on what lies in store for the series' various characters in season 3, check out my exclusive interviews with Sauron actor Charlie Vickers, Gandalf star Daniel Weyman, and Elrond and Gil-galad pair Robert Aramayo and Benjamin Walker below.

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