Season 3 Of 'The Rings Of Power' Will Start With A 'The Lord Of The Rings' Style Prologue

TV & Film

Aug 1

Charlie Vickers as Sauron in a promotional image for the third season of The Rings of Power. Vickers is wearing Morgoth's crown with his back towards the camera, facing what appears to be a forge or fiery hole. — Image Source: IMDb

New information regarding the premiere of Amazon Prime’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season three was recently released. According to IGN, the season will kick off with a prologue addressing what has happened leading up to the third season.

This prologue will reflect the one from The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), the first film of the Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings trilogy; this prologue introduced the lore effectively to its audience, providing enough details for new fans to understand the story while establishing a plot that long-time fans could connect with. The prologue for The Rings of Power will reportedly be similar while smoothly bridging the five-year gap between the second and third seasons.

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In an interview with Empire Magazine, co-showrunner Patrick McKay explained this creative choice (via IGN): "It was a calculated decision to start with real momentum, and hopefully bring a few more people onto the train.” He continued, delving into what has been established and what the outcome will be: “The first two seasons were all about building out this world. Throughout that time, we're lighting all these fuses and setting all these stories in motion. The third season is when all those bombs are starting to explode.”

Season three of The Rings of Power premieres on November 11, 2026, exclusively on Amazon Prime Video. There will reportedly be eight episodes in total. Season three picks up about five years after the previous season. The war between the Elves and Sauron is now fully underway and reaching its peak, the latter fully determined to craft the One Ring to win the war and gain control over Middle-earth. While there will be a recap to cover the basic information about the show so far, if you want an in-depth plot recap, the first two seasons of The Rings of Power are available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.

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