by Thinus Ferreira
Amazon MGM Studios has officially renewed The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power for a third season with a major time jump that will occur placing the story at the height of the War of the Elves.
Filming of the third season of the Tolkien show will start in a few months at Shepperton Studios in the United Kingdom.
"The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power continues to captivate audiences worldwide, and we're thrilled that a third season is underway," says Vernon Sanders, head of television at Amazon MGM Studios.
"The creative team has an extraordinary vision of what's to come with stories that have left us enchanted and enthralled. We look forward to continuing this epic journey, for our global customers, delving even deeper into the legendary tales that shaped Middle-earth."
"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 and conquer all Middle-earth at last," Amazon MGM Studios says.
The third season is currently in pre-production.
In the sprawling The Lord of the Rings saga, the War of the Elves took place during J.R.R. Tolkien's Second Age which marked the first big battle against Sauron.
In its press release, Amazon Prime Video says the third season will have three directors, two returning and one new: Charlotte Brändström, Sanaa Hamri, and Stefan Schwartz.
Charlotte Brändström, who served as co-executive producer and directed multiple episodes in the first two seasons returns as executive producer and director for the third season.
She is joined by returning director Sanaa Hamri, who helmed several episodes in season two, and veteran director Stefan Schwartz, marking his first involvement with the series. Each director will oversee multiple episodes in the upcoming season.
According to Amazon Prime Video the first season remains the biggest TV premiere in the history of Amazon Prime Video with the second season the most-watched returning season by hours watched.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is produced by showrunners and executive producers J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay.
They are joined by executive producers Lindsey Weber, Justin Doble, Kate Hazell, and executive producer-director Charlotte Brändström.
Matthew Penry-Davey is producer and Ally O'Leary, Tim Keene, and Andrew Lee are co-producers.
