The Rings of Power season two ended with a bang, with viewers and critics alike widely praising the show's direction following a somewhat lacklustre first season - particularly in regards to the visually stunning, action-packed final two episodes, which saw the elves struggle to defend Eregion from Sauron's evil plot.
But was the significantly improved sophomore season enough for Prime Video to greenlight their incredibly expensive project for a third season? Here's what we know so far…
No official renewals… yet
Following the season two finale earlier this week, there has been no official word from Prime Video about the show's future just yet - but all signs point to the show returning for a third instalment - particularly since it is widely known that the showrunners JD Payne and Patrick McKay have a five-season story arc planned for the show.
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Speaking to Empire about their plans, they said: "We even know what our final shot of the last episode is going to be. The rights that Amazon bought were for a 50-hour show. They knew from the beginning that was the size of the canvas – this was a big story with a clear beginning, middle and end. There are things in the first season that don’t pay off until Season 5."
What happens in the Rings of Power?
Rings of Power is set in Middle Earth's Second Age, thousands of years before the events of The Lord of the Rings. The story follows Sauron's first rise to power and the creation of the rings of power - which Sauron sought to control with 'one ring to rule them all'.
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Known as 'the Deceiver', Sauron first appears on the show as Halbrand, a human king of the Southlands who acts as a love interest to Galadriel, before taking on the guise of Annatar the Lord of Gifts in season two to trick an elvish smith Celebrimbor, into making the rings of power.
The story also follows two Harfoots as they help a mysterious wizard, the dwarves in Khazad-dûm, as well as the land of Númenor before its fall.
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Is the content faithful to the original material?
Speaking about adaptation JRR Tolkien's material, JD said: "It was like Tolkien put some stars in the sky and let us make out the constellations. In his letters [particularly in one to his publisher], Tolkien talked about wanting to leave behind a mythology that ‘left scope for other minds and hands, wielding the tools of paint, music and drama.’
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"We’re doing what Tolkien wanted. As long as we felt like every invention of ours was true to his essence, we knew we were on the right track."
Patrick added: "The pressure would drive us insane if we didn’t feel like there was a story here that didn’t come from us. It comes from a bigger place. It came from Tolkien and we’re just the stewards of it. We trust those ideas so deeply, because they’re not ours. We’re custodians, at best."
Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter following the season two finale, Patrick added: "We think the show is just hitting its stride, and we anticipate that season three will be onward and upward."
What has the fan reaction been?
Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, to discuss the finale, one person wrote: "I straight up can’t comprehend the hate this show gets. I am a *diehard* Tolkien fan and this show has been my happy place. It is absolutely brilliant and I adore it." Another person added: "#TheRingsOfPower season finale was one of the most beautiful and heart-wrenching things I have ever watched. Stunning visuals, beyond brilliant acting, amazing storytelling keeping us on the edge and a community among who I found lifelong friends. Thank you."
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A third person added: "The #RingsOfPower hate is so forced. This show is amazing. You can't convince me otherwise."