The Rings of Power season 3 trailer has arrived, and it promises a dark third season. The new teaser was shown at San Diego Comic-Con 2026 and featured Sauron crafting the One Ring, an epic battle brewing, and some new characters. The third outing of the beloved fantasy show is arriving later this year, debuting in November. And while that's still a little way off, thanks to SDCC, we actually know a whole lot about what to expect.
There will be a time jump too when we return as we find Middle-earth in the midst of war between the Elves and Sauron. In our extensive guide below, we've also got details on the cast, synopsis, and some exclusive insight from the showrunners too. It's certainly a good time to be a Lord of the Rings fan too, with a new movie in the making focused on Gollum and a new Lord of the Rings game also in the works.
There's also some news brewing about a potential fourth season of The Rings of Power being in development. So while we prepare for all of that, why not catch up on how to watch The Lord of the Rings movies and shows in order.
The Rings of Power season 3 release date
The Rings of Power season 3 begins on November 11, 2026.
Four episodes are due to arrive at once before two episodes drop weekly, making it a new structure than we've seen before.
This is also a slightly shorter wait than we expected too as production has sped up compared to previous seasons. The show wrapped filming in December 2025, meaning it's hitting screens in 11 months rather than the 20 months it took for season 2.
The Rings of Power season 3 plot
The Rings of Power season 3 has an official synopsis, but it doesn't reveal much. This reads: "Jumping forward several years from the events of season two, season three 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."
This isn't entirely surprising given where the season 2 finale ended things off. As we saw, Sauron is now at his greatest power yet, having taken possession of the Nine Rings for Men as well as bringing the Orc army under his wing.
After his confrontation with Galadriel, we see him standing with Fëanor’s hammer in Annatar form, setting up his forging of the One Ring. In J.R.R. Tolkien's works, Sauron forges this in the flames of Mordor. From the first look image below we know that this is what he's up too as he's pictured with the Iron Crown. However, he won't be in Annatar form anymore as he's sporting some Halbrand-style brown locks.
He'll face opposition from the rest of Middle-earth, no doubt. The Elves are bruised and battered following the Siege of Eregion, with severely depleted numbers. However, even with Galadriel recovering from her near death experience, she decides along with Elrond and Gil-galad that they will fight to defeat the Dark Lord. We expect the third season will see them rallying their ranks.
They'll have a new ally though, who has just learned his name: Gandalf. Yes, the Stranger was the famous wizard after all. He now knows his name, has his staff, and is set on his path to clash with both the Dark Wizard and with Sauron. It's not yet clear whether the Harfoots will be part of this, as they head off on their own way at the end of the season, but let's hope it's not the last we see of them.
Elsewhere, things are not looking good. In Khazad-dûm, the Dwarves are in mourning after the death of King Durin and are also dealing with the fact they've awoken the Balrog under the mountain.
Numenór is in disarray with Pharazon declaring supporters of Miriel as traitors and sending Elendil fleeing with a very familiar sword (read more about Narsil here). It's not much better for the other humans either, many of whom (including Isildur) are leaving the Southlands for Numenor.
In terms of where we leave season 2 on the Lord of the Rings timeline, we're nearing the halfway point of the Second Age. Looking at what to expect next from Tolkien’s books, we'll likely see the creation of Rivendell in the wake of Eregion's fall, but there is a big gap in the timeline between that and the next big event: the first sighting of the Nazghûl. It seems pretty clear that The Rings of Power will look to fill in the gaps of the men given the rings in season 3.
We also know that Celeborn, Galadriel's husband is joining the story too. Speaking at SDCC, "The reunion between the two of them is deeply impactful, particularly for Celeborn. And I think, you know, with Galadriel, it's the memory, and the hope of their reunion has really been the thing that's been keeping him alive," Celeborn star Jamie Campbell Bower said. "With this time and distance between them, they've got a lot to catch up on."
This won't be the end of the story either as there are some reports that The Rings of Power season 4 is already in development too. Filming could take place as early as 2027 too, all things going well.
The Rings of Power season 3 cast
Although there were some big casualties (RIP Adar, King Durin and Celebrimbor) in The Rings of Power season 2, we're expecting most of the major cast to return for a third season.
There will also likely be plenty of new characters joining as well. A whole host of new faces, including Stranger Things star Jamie Campbell Bower and Eddie Marsan, are set to join the line-up as well as Simon Pegg in an unexpected role.
Here's who we're expecting to star in The Rings of Power season 3:
- Charlie Vickers as Sauron
- Morfydd Clark as Galadriel
- Robert Aramayo as Elrond
- Benjamin Walker as Gil-galad
- Daniel Weyman as Gandalf
- Sophia Nomvete as Disa
- Owain Arthur as Durin IV
- Kevin Eldon as Narvi
- Lloyd Owen as Elendil
- Maxim Baldry as Isildur
- Trystan Gravelle as Pharazôn
- Cynthia Addai-Robinson as Míriel
- Ismael Cruz Córdova as Arondir
- Tyroe Muhafidin as Theo
- Markella Kavenagh as Elanor "Nori" Brandyfoot
- Megan Richards as Poppy Proudfellow
- Ciarán Hinds as the Dark Wizard
- Ema Horvath as Eärien
- Leon Wadham as Kemen
- Rory Kinnear as Tom Bombadil
- Jamie Campbell Bower as Celeborn
- Eddie Marsan as Thrain
- Andrew Richardson as Anarion
- Adam Young as Marnûkh
- Zubin Varla as Khamûl the Easterling
Is there a Rings of Power season 3 trailer?
Yes! The first trailer for The Rings of Power season 3 was released at San Diego Comic-Con 2026. You can watch it above.
It gives us a glimpse at Celeborn and Galadriel's reunion as well as Adam Young's mysterious Orc Marnûkh. However, the main focus of the trailer is Sauron heading to Mount Doom to create the One Ring... Darkness is arriving in Middle-earth.
This won't be the last trailer we see before the show is released so watch this space.
For more on Tolkien, read our guide on the Lord of the Rings timeline.
