“The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” returns for its third season today, continuing to expand the world of Middle-earth.
White its interpretation of Tolkien’s world has sparked plenty of discussion among longtime fans — particularly around creative execution, lore and pacing — the adaptation continues to draw on the established legacy of the original “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy and “The Hobbit” while developing its own narrative.
As one of the most expensive television productions ever made, “The Rings of Power” remains as one of Prime Video’s most-watched titles, although viewership declined between its first and second seasons.
But with a third season comes an opportunity to take the story in a new direction. Could introducing a significant time jump help refresh the series and attract a wider audience?
“We love the idea of kind of like having a fresh slate, just as a way to give the show a jolt of energy,” showrunner Patrick McKay told Variety Australia.
“We wanted to kind of throw the entire audience off their balance a little bit. Five years have gone by, the world’s been at war, alliances have shifted, you know cities have gone up — Rivendell and Barad-dûr — whole worlds that we never visited before are now there.”
Showrunner JD Payne added that it opens the world of Tolkien to those who haven’t dipped their toes into “The Rings Of Power” universe. “It also creates an opportunity for people who maybe have never seen the show before, didn’t watch season one and two, to jump in and be like, ‘Okay, cool, we’re sort of starting afresh’,” he said.
“I can get a quick recap and jump in, and then if I like it, I can watch the first two after that.”
McKay said the intention was to have the third instalment jolt out of the gate and come at audiences “with a lot of attack,” throwing them off balance and almost challenging the tone established by the earlier seasons.
Season three also sees the arrival of fan-favourite Elven Prince Celeborn, Galadriel’s husband, played by Jamie Campbell-Bower. Payne told Variety Australia that the character’s introduction will add something extra to season three.
“It was a long process getting there and finding [Campbell-Bower],” he admitted. “We auditioned probably hundreds of people for that role, and we had to find someone who felt like they were just the right spice to bring into the soup.”
Once the showrunners saw Morfydd Clark and Campbell-Bower’s chemistry together, they knew the pairing was a winner. “Instantly you felt like, ‘Yeah, they’re in love.’ I believe that the chemistry popped off the screen, and then we never looked back,” said Payne.
“The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power” is streaming on Prime Video from today.