Originally touted as Prime Video's chance to deliver a Game of Thrones-beater, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 1 struggled to win over longtime Middle-earth fans and never found the same level of mainstream success as the iconic HBO series.
After Season 1's budget reportedly ballooned to over $465 million, production moved from New Zealand to the UK for a second season that drew positive reviews from critics, but largely negative ones from viewers. Season 3 premieres on November 11, and we now have a major Season 4 update from The Hollywood Reporter (via SFFGazette.com).
The trade reveals that The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is expected to begin pre-production this fall, with a UK shoot planned for early 2027. However, there's a major caveat: Season 4 hasn't been greenlit yet.
That's despite Prime Video being "bullish about continuing its piece of The Lord of the Rings franchise." While it's previously been reported that Amazon is sticking to its five-season plan for the series, if viewership drops significantly, then it's not outside the realm of possibility that the plug is pulled on the show. For now, though, this is a largely positive update.
"Given the release cadence of the first three seasons, and the company’s current season four production plan, the fourth season seems likely to drop in 2028," the report explains. "When Amazon acquired the television rights for The Lord of the Rings appendices from the Tolkien Estate in 2017, it also made a five-season production commitment at the time."
Amazon has previously said that The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has attracted over 185 million viewers worldwide since launch, with the first season scoring huge numbers for the platform. Season 2 also topped Nielsen's Streaming chart in 2024.
The Lord of the Rings franchise is also set to expand in theaters, with Warner Bros. developing stories set in the era it holds the rights to: the Third Age. The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is up first, with The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past set to follow. Those aren't connected to The Rings of Power in any way.
Jumping 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, bind all peoples to his will – and at last rule all Middle-earth.
Season 3 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is produced by showrunners and executive producers J.D. Payne & Patrick McKay. They are joined by executive producers Lindsey Weber, Justin Doble, Kate Hazell, and executive producer-director Charlotte Brandstrom. Matthew Penry-Davey is producer and Ally O’Leary, Tim Keene, and Andrew Lee are co-producers.
Stay tuned for more updates on Middle-earth as we have them.