The Rings of Power’s Five-Season Plan Is Thankfully Right On Track
Amazon MGM is already gearing up for Season 4 of the prequel.
There’s no telling how long The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will take to tell its story, though showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay have insisted that the series has a clear beginning and end. The duo has kept their plans close to the chest, teasing that some storylines won’t pay off until a projected fifth season — but will the show itself end with Season 5? Payne has alluded to plans for “a 50-hour show,” and with each season clocking in at just eight episodes, we could see this version of Middle-earth continuing beyond five seasons.
What’s more, The Rings of Power is all but guaranteed the freedom to finish its story on its own terms. A recent report from The Ankler revealed that the series is safe under the “magical halo” of Amazon MGM boss Jeff Bezos, and could be protected for its entire run. Whether that’ll be fewer or more than five seasons remains one of the most tantalizing mysteries surrounding the show, but with a newfound urgency to shorten the gap between seasons, it won’t take much longer for Payne and McKay’s vision to crystallize.
After Season 3 premieres this fall, it’s full speed ahead for The Rings of Power Season 4.
Season 3 of The Rings of Power is officially slated to premiere in November 2026, and Season 4 won’t be far behind. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the series is looking to start developing its fourth season this fall, with plans to shoot new episodes in early 2027. Though a fourth season hasn’t yet gotten the official greenlight, that doesn’t have to stop production from getting its affairs in order. That way, when the season order does come, there won’t be any time wasted. If anything, the Rings of Power team could be striving to shorten the gap between seasons as much as possible.
Depending on when Season 4 finishes shooting, we could see the new season drop sometime in 2027, just a year after Season 3 hits Prime Video. That would be a stark improvement from the current release schedule, which has maintained a two-year gap between seasons. The Rings of Power would join the ranks of other streaming shows, like another Prime Original, Fallout, or HBO’s Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, that have embraced briefer turnarounds. That’s a great development for fans eager to see how this prequel plays out: we may not know exactly how long this battle against the Dark Lord Sauron will last, but at least Amazon is getting serious about reaching that finish line.
