Jul 25, 2026 1:07am IST
‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ Season 3 Trailer Review: Celeborn, Sauron’s War and The One Ring Power a High-Stakes First Look
It’s time to return to Middle-earth for the forging of the One Ring by Sauron. The first official teaser trailer for “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” premiered at the ongoing San Diego Comic Con, where the Prime Video series returned for its third Hall H panel. The teaser arrives a day after it was announced that “Stranger Things” alum Jamie Campbell Bower will take on the role of Celeborn, husband to Morfydd Clarke’s Galadriel.
The ‘Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ Season 3 Teaser Trailer is packed with major moments
The Season 3 teaser begins with the forging of the One Ring. The familiar markings in the dark script of Mordor are etched onto the forge, while Sauron proclaims, “Now is the mighty hour come.” And indeed, the trailer is packed with some mighty moments, high-stakes drama and action on all fronts, ending with Sauron forging the One Ring over the fires of Mount Doom. For a first look, it offers a good enough glimpse of every major character and story arc to tide fans over until more trailers arrive.
The trailer shows what could be Galadriel and Celeborn’s first-ever meeting in the glade and their reunion in the present. Joining the party this season are the Nazgnagôl, which is what the makers are calling the soon-to-be-Nazgûl or Ringwraiths, the nine men that Sauron corrupted with the rings of power. In a scene mirroring Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin hiding from the Nazgûl in “The Fellowship of the Ring,” Galadriel and the Silvan elf, Arondir, with an orc as their hostage, seem to be hiding under a tree from a Nazgnagôl on horseback.
This orc could be leading them to the place where Galadriel reunites with Celeborn. As many fans had speculated, he is possibly a prisoner of war in some dungeon. There’s also a scene that shows a terrifying flying creature that looks like one of the fell beasts the Nazgûl rode in the Peter Jackson movies. The orcs and the Nazgnagôl are working together, even taking a trip to the mines of Khazad-dûm, where they are met with resistance from King Durin IV and his wife, Disa.
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Another notable scene is the armies of Númenor landing on the shores of Middle-earth, interspersed with shots of Elendil and Pharazôn next to Elven King Gil-galad, clearly mobilising forces against Sauron and his orcs. While some characters are conspicuously absent from this teaser or don’t get much face time, such as Elrond, the hobbits from Season 2, Isildur and Eärien and the mysterious Tom Bombadil, others, such as Círdan the elf, get a blink-and-miss appearance. We do see the Stranger, finally revealed as Gandalf at the end of Season 2, in conversation with the Dark Wizard about Middle-earth’s fate and facing a Mûmak (or Oliphaunt) this season. All in all, the trailer promises a relentless adventure.
What will happen in ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ Season 3?
Set in the Second Age of J.R.R Tolkien’s Middle-earth, thousands of years before the events of "The Lord of the Rings", “The Rings of Power” Season 3 will take a time jump. Five years after the events of Season 2, at the height of the war between the elves and Sauron, the elves are exhausted and looking for a way to end the war. Sauron is locked in and hard at work, trying but failing to forge the One Ring, until something changes.
Season 2 ended with the founding of the elven refuge of Imladris, aka Rivendell, by Gil-galad, Elrond and Galadriel. And this season will see its beginnings. Meanwhile, the makers are excited for the audience to see the surprises Númenor will have to offer this season, in addition to the storylines of King Durin and the dwarves of Khazad-dûm and the Stranger, finally revealed to be Gandalf, slowly coming into his power.
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Simon Pegg joins the cast of ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ Season 3
The returning cast for Season 3 includes Morfydd Clarke (Galadriel), Charlie Vickers (Sauron), Robert Aramayo (Elrond), Benjamin Walker (Gil-galad), Cynthia Addai-Robinson (Queen Míriel), Owain Arthur (Durin IV), Sophia Nomvete (Disa), Ismael Cruz Córdova (Arondir), Trystan Gravelle (Pharazôn), Lloyd Owen (Elendil), Ciarán Hinds (Dark Wizard), Maxim Baldry (Isildur), Ben Daniels (Círdan) and Daniel Weyman (Gandalf).
Of the new entrants, some of whom were revealed during the SDCC panel, Jamie Campbell Bower is Celeborn, Zubin Varla is Khamûl, Eddie Marsan is Thrain (Durin IV's brother) and Andrew Richardson is Anárion (Isildur’s brother and Elendil’s son). It has also been revealed that Simon Pegg will voice the Balrog we saw at the end of Season 2, with Charlie Vickers’ Sauron seeking to learn more about its powers.
How many episodes will be there in “The Rings of Power” Season 3?
Just like Seasons 1 and 2, Season 3 also appears to have eight episodes. Directors Charlotte Brändström (“Outlander,” “Shōgun,” “Scarpetta”) and Sanaa Hamri (“The Wheel of Time”) return to direct episodes this season, with Stefan Schwartz (The Walking Dead, The Americans, The Boys”) also joining them. Showrunners and executive producers J.D Payne and Patrick McKay also serve as writers on multiple episodes.
‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ Season 3 release date
Produced by Amazon MGM Studios in association with New Line Cinema, “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” Season 3 will premiere on Amazon Prime Video on November 11, 2026. Season 4 is already confirmed.
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