Will ‘The Rings of Power’ return for season 3?

Though Prime Video’s ambitious TV show The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’s second season has only just finished, fans already have one eye set on its future, excited to know if their favorite characters’ stories will extend beyond two seasons.

Well, there’s a positive update from director and executive producer Charlotte Brändström, who has hinted that admirers of the show will receive “good” news soon. Brändström recently spoke to RadioTimes.com about the subject, and here’s what she had to say:

“I can’t say much about season 3, but I think there’ll be good news soon.”

Brändström’s comments echo Ismael Cruz Córdova’s recent remarks about the series’ potential renewal. The Rings of Power actor recently had a tête-à-tête with Variety, where he gave a reassuring response when asked about the show’s future:

“As far as I know, they did kind of confirm that we’re going for a third. I haven’t seen any scripts, though. I would love to. But I’m pretty sure we’re going for a third.”

Rings of Power’s season 2 viewership data paints a grim picture

Córdova and Brändström’s comments are likely to bring a wave of confidence among fans regarding Rings of Power getting a third season, especially after outlets like Deadline reported that the season 2 premiere’s viewership had plummeted in comparison to the first, casting a cloud of doubt.

In a more recent report from Deadline, Prime Video’s latest viewing stats unfortunately still paint a grim picture. According to Amazon’s data, the sophomore season garnered 55 million global viewers ahead of the much-anticipated finale. This figure is almost a third of what the first season has managed so far, which was viewed by 150 million global viewers in total.

Prime Video’s estimations consider the number of accounts that watched a particular show in their viewership reports, as it is borderline impossible to determine the exact number of viewers. The network putting their faith in the Lord of the Rings prequel series has turned out to be an expensive gamble so far, with its reported $700 million budget (which includes a $250 million rights payment to J.R.R. Tolkien’s estate).

Despite this predicament, there is an overwhelming likelihood that the series will continue beyond the second season, with the network likely to recuperate its investment over time. With regards to the release window, it remains difficult to comment on when The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will return. Given the premiere dates of the first two seasons, mid-2026 is when the third chapter of J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay’s series is likely to premiere, should it be renewed.