The world is a big place full of billions of people, which means it’s a near certainty someone out there is watching Prime Video’s The Rings of Power without knowing anything about The Lord of the Rings. If you are that viewer, consider this your own personal spoiler warning. This is big news that everyone else has been expecting…..Sauron is about to forge the One Ring. The moment that forever changed Middle-earth will take place in season three.
The Rings of Power co-showrunner Patrick McKay told Empire the show’s third season will make good on the series’ name. Fans will see Charlie Vickers’ Sauron creating the ultimate ring of power in Mordor’s volcano.
It’s what the show has been building towards for two seasons. It’s something that moved Vickers in a way it would have never affected Sauron himself. The actor said he cried when he arrived to film the sequence, which took two weeks, since it “is so long.” McKay also told Empire it is “the single most ambitious, technically challenging sequence we’ve ever done on the show” and that Vickers’ “performance is absolutely staggering.”
The making of his ultimate weapon won’t be the only thing that makes season three different for Sauron. When viewers return to the Second Age in The Rings of Power season three, they will also see a villain no longer worried about hiding his true identity. That much is clear in new promotional images for the show. These Rings of Power season three images feature a crowned, regal Sauron in all his evil glory ruling from Barad-dûr. McKay says this unleashed Sauron is why season three is “darker” and “more dangerous.” The co-showrunner said, “No one is safe.”
That was true before the forging of the One Ring. But fans of The Lord of the Rings know exactly why the ultimate ring of power changed Middle-earth forever. Just don’t tell the one person watching the show about any of that. We really want to find out what they think after they see Sauron forge it.
Nerdist Take: We Can’t Wait for a Darker Sauron in The Rings of Power Season 3
In The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Sauron has taken many forms. But in seasons one and two of the series, he’s had to hide his true identity, by and large. Now, Sauron is set to truly rise, and we’re excited to see what a dark Sauron who needs no more disguises will accomplish. We know things will get worse before they get better for the rest of Middle-earth. But we’re also eager to see how The Rings of Power season three blends Sauron’s true darkness and evil with the keen understanding he has of the weak, empathetic spots in those around him. Sauron always thinks he’s doing the right thing in his most sincerest hearts, blaming others for letting him down. And that psychological element to Sauron has been fun to watch in past seasons, but will undoubtedly be even better in The Rings of Power season three. We can’t wait for the true Dark Lord to emerge.
When Will The Rings of Power Season 3 Release?
The Rings of Power season three and Sauron in all his glory return on November 11, 2026.