Most news about the Lord of the Rings franchise of late has centered on the forthcoming big screen adventure The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum and Stephen Colbert’s in-the-works Shadows of the Past project. But if current rumors are to be believed, we’ll be headed back to Middle-earth well before then, thanks to Prime Video’s blockbuster fantasy saga The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The series, which still ranks as the most expensive ever made, has drawn its share of criticism for the liberties it’s taken with J.R.R. Tolkien’s source material and the changes it’s made to the backstories of some of its characters. But it’s still seen as a priority for the streamer, which is allegedly still on track to finish out its five-season vision despite the high costs associated with its production. cnx.cmd.push(function() {cnx({playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530",}).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796");});Per The Hollywood Reporter, The Rings of Power season 3 will hit our screens later this year — months earlier than anyone expected. (The conventional wisdom up until this point was that a 2027 release was likely, given its extensive post-production needs.) While Prime Video hasn’t officially confirmed this report one way or the other, it makes a certain amount of sense. Season 2 concluded back in the Fall of 2024, and a late 2026 release would put the gap between seasons at two years, which is roughly the same amount of time that passed between the show’s first and second outings. When season 3 does arrive, though, things will look a bit different. Though season 2 concluded with the siege of Eregion and the death of Celebrimbor, its third outing will be set after a rather lengthy time jump. Honestly, this isn’t that big of a deal, since most of the story’s main characters are some variety of long-lived being that means the aging process doesn’t really apply to them. Plus, Tolkien’s history spans such a long period of time — a century passes between the forging of the 19 rings we saw made in season 2 and the One Ring to Rule them All in Mordor — that fast forwarding through some of the lesser bits is probably a smart choice. The Rings of Power will pick back up again at the height of the War of the Elves and Sauron, as the Dark Lord works to create his master ring. (Technically, these events also take place over a hundred years apart, but let’s go with it for the sake of brevity.) Beyond that, we don’t know much about what aspects of Tolkien’s history the third season will tackle, but it’s done some pretty detailed set-up for several major events, including the selection of the Nazgul, the closing of the Doors of Durin, and, probably most importantly, the Fall of Numenor. (And that’s not counting whatever they’re planning to do with Gandalf and that still-unidentified Dark Wizard next.)Announced returning cast members include the major players: Charlie Vickers as Sauron, Morfydd Clark as Galadriel, and Robert Aramayo as Elrond, though those are far from the only familiar faces we’ll see in season 3. (An early preview clip features Lloyd Owen’s Elendil with his iconic blade Narsil.) The show is also adding some new faces in as-yet undisclosed roles, including Stranger Things star Jamie Campbell Bower and King & Conqueror’s Eddie Marsan, as well as Andrew Richardson, Zubin Varla, and Adam Young. Who are they all playing? Your guess is as good as ours.The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is streaming now on Prime Video.The post Looks Like The Rings of Power Season 3 Is Arriving Earlier Than We Thought appeared first on Den of Geek.