Patrick McKay and J. D. Payne give us a tiny update on season 3

Annatar in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 episode 5

(Image credit: Prime Video)

The Rings of Power season 3 is officially in the works after the dramatic finale of season 2 featured huge revelations and heartbreaking deaths. However, news has been pretty light on the ground for the Prime Video epic’s return, which is why we quizzed showrunners on the future as part of our interview to mark The Rings of Power season 2 being named GamesRadar+’s best show of 2025.

While they didn’t let much slip when we asked if they’ve given much thought to what the themes of this next part of the story will be, Patrick McKay replied: “The answer is yes, we’re very excited, but we can’t say anything other than we’re working on season three. We have a story we think is really strong, and we’re hoping to turn it around as fast as possible.”

When GamesRadar+ pushed a little bit more on whether they’re focusing on Numenor a lot in this next stage, McKay laughingly responded: “We will confirm nor deny anything.”

While McKay and his fellow showrunner J. D. Payne didn’t reveal any plot details, they also opened up about where we leave Sauron at the end of season 2. After killing Adar and Celembrimbor, and getting the rings back off Galadriel, we leave the Dark Lord holding Fëanor’s hammer.

“For Sauron as a character at the beginning of season two, he still thinks he’s the hero, right? He’s like, I’m going to fix the whole world,” McKay explains. “I have to make magic rings to do it and the way I do that is to trick this guy, right? That’s my plan. But then to succeed, he has to double down and basically descend into the worst version of himself, where, by the end, he’s the villain of this story, and he knows it.”

He added: “So in some ways, the first two seasons have been the origin of Sauron, the Dark Lord. Season one, he was the aspiring Dark Lord, by the end of season two, he’s the newly conquering Dark Lord.”

We can’t wait to see where that takes him in season 3. In the meantime, check out our guide to the best shows on Amazon Prime and our round-up of the best TV shows of 2024.