The Rings of Power season 2 is well on its way to being filmed in its entirety – but it'll be a long time before it graces our screens.

Principal photography on the next entry in Amazon's Lord of the Rings TV show has been ongoing for almost six months. While that's worth celebrating, we don't expect The Rings of Power to return before 2024, so adjust your excitement levels accordingly.

Still, while we wait for one of the best Prime Video shows to land on TV screens worldwide again, there's plenty of information about its development. In this guide, you'll find news and rumors about its release date, cast, story, the series' future on Prime Video, and more.

Full spoilers follow for The Rings of Power season 1. Potential spoilers for its sequel season are also discussed.

The Rings of Power season 2 release date: what we know

The Rings of Power season 2 doesn't have a launch date yet. Speaking about a potential release window, Amazon Studios co-head Jennifer Salke told Esquire everyone wants to get season 2 “out into the world as soon as we can”. However, Vernon Sanders, Salke's fellow co-head, also told Collider it was “more unlikely than likely” that it'll arrive in 2023.

Don't expect The Rings of Power season 2 to be released before 2024 rolls into view, then. Amazon's other expensive high fantasy series – The Wheel of Time season 2 – is coming this year, so you'll have some fantasy genre fare to enjoy. In the meantime, The Making of The Rings of Power – a documentary detailing season 1's production – is available to watch now on Amazon's streaming platform.

The Rings of Power season 2 cast

Spoilers follow for The Rings of Power season 1.

Here's who we expect to return in The Rings of Power season 2:

• Charlie Vickers as Sauron
• Morfydd Clark as Galadriel
• Robert Aramayo as Elrond
• Benjamin Walker as High King Gil-galad
• Charles Edwards as Celebrimbor
• Ismael Cruz Córdova as Arondir
• Nazain Boniadi as Bronwyn
• Tyroe Muhafidin as Theo
• Cynthia Addai-Robinson as Queen Regent Míriel
• Lloyd Owen as Elendil
• Maxim Baldry as Isildur
• Ema Horvath as Eärien
• Trystan Gravelle as Pharazôn
• Leon Wadham as Kemen
• Owain Arthur as Prince Durin IV
• Sophia Nomvete as Princess Disa
• Markella Kavenagh as Eleanor ‘Nori’ Brandyfoot
• Dylan Smith as Largo Brandyfoot
• Sara Zwangobani as Marigold Brandyfoot
• Megan Richards and Poppy Proudfellow
• Daniel Weyman as The Stranger

The Rings of Power season 1 finale revealed Halbrand is actually Sauron. Whenever we see Vickers from now on, he'll be portraying The Lord of the Rings' iconic villain.

Meanwhile, Lenny Henry's Sadoc Burrows and The Mystics won't be back. Sadoc died in episode 8 after he was fatally injured him during a battle between The Stranger, Harfoots, and The Mystics – the latter being destroyed by The Stranger during the same fight.

Alex Tarrant's Valandil, Geoff Morrell's Waldreg, Peter Mullan as King Durin III, Maxine Cunliffe as Vilma, and Thusitha Jayasundera as Malva are the five main supporting cast members, so we suspect they'll be back. Vilma and Malva's appearances, though, depend on whether we see the Harfoot community again (more on this later).

The Rings of Power season 2 has dropped a big name star, though. Joseph Mawle, who played Adar, has been replaced by Sam Hazeldine (Peaky Blinders). Elsewhere, 17 other actors have officially joined the cast. Six were announced in the Mawle departure press release, eight more were forged in the fires of Mount Doom (metaphorically speaking), before James Bond, Star Wars, and Harry Potter stars were added to the show's ranks. You can see all 17 actors listed below:

• William Chubb (The Sandman)
• Kevin Eldon (Game of Thrones)
• Will Keen (His Dark Materials)
• Selina Lo (Hellraiser)
• Calum Lynch (Bridgerton, Derry Girls)
• Stuart Bowman (Alex Rider)
• Gavi Singh Chera (The Lazarus Project)
• Oliver Alvin-Wilson (Lovesick)
• Ben Daniels (Jupiter’s Legacy)
• Yasen “Zates” Atour (Young Wallander)
• Gabriel Akuwudike (1917)
• Nia Towle (Persuasion)
• Nicholas Woodeson (Rome)
• Amelia Kenworthy (in her first major acting role)
• Ciaran Hinds (Harry Potter, Treason)
• Rory Kinnear (James Bond)
• Tanya Moodie (Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker)

Potential season 2 cast spoilers follow.

One character confirmed to appear is Cirdan the Shipwright. In Tolkien's source material, Cirdan was Lord of the Falathrim in the First Age and owned one of the titular rings – Narya – before passing it onto Gandalf. Benjamin Walker, who plays High King Gil-galad, has teased (via Nerdist) that Cirdan will have an “important influence” on his character.

Cirdan isn't the only elf who could feature. In episode 7, Galadriel mentioned Celeborn, the elf she's wedded to. Right now, Galadriel presumes he's dead, but Tolkien fans know he's still alive. The duo eventually reunite before they make the city of Lothlórien their permanent home.

Speaking at a screening event for episodes 6 and 7, co-showrunners Patrick McKay refused to confirm Celeborn will appear. However, he teased: “We know there are things that the two of them do together in terms of progeny that they will issue, realms they will found, all kinds of things. So it would be very hard to believe that she would never see him again. But let’s see.”

Elsewhere, Charles Edwards, who plays Celebrimbor, wants to see a deep-cut dwarf character make their live-action debut in The Rings of Power season 2. TheOneRing.net also claims Tom Bombadil will feature in some capacity.

According to The Fellowship of Fans, newcomer Jamie Bisping has been cast as someone called Viran (it's unclear if this is a codename). Fellowship of Fans claims William Chubb will portray a Númenórean high priest called Lord Belzagar and Nichola Woodeson is playing a Pelargir character named Diarmid (again, no word on whether this is his actual name), too. And The Witcher fansite Redanian Intelligence suggests Celesta Dodwell (Atlanta) has been cast in an unknown role.

Finally, with the first Rings of Power being crafted in episode 8, we could see the other 17 forged in The Rings of Power season 2. If that happens, characters like Khamûl the Easterling – one of the nine Ringwraiths – could make their live-action debut.

The Rings of Power season 2 plot

Little is known about The Rings of Power season 2's plot. However, based on cast and crew quotes, plus what happens in the season 1 finale and in Tolkien's works, we can speculate on certain elements.

The most pressing questions revolve around Sauron and the titular rings. Now that Halbrand has been revealed as Sauron – Vickers told TechRadar he didn't know he was playing Sauron until filming the third episode – Middle-earth's most notable antagonist will take center stage.

For starters, he's arrived in Mordor to make it his base of operations. Given Adar and his followers already inhabit this realm, it'll be fascinating to see if they become allies or not. The duo briefly clashed in episode 6, so seeing them reunite in The Rings of Power season 2 would make for compelling viewing. Vickers told TechRadar that he'd be excited to explore the pair's frosty relationship further, adding: “I really love that dynamic. These characters have a long history, so I'd be keen to explore that further and even build on it.”

And what of Sauron potentially meeting Galadriel again? The duo formed a close bond before Halbrand revealed his true identity, only to be rebuffed in his advances to make Galdriel his queen.

“I've always been obsessed with the mirror of Galadriel bit from The Lord of the Rings films,” Clark told TechRadar. “She can't let go until she's rejected this completely because she feels temptation in that. But only the tiniest amount because of how dreadful she knows it would be. So it would be interesting to see how she'd handle a reunion.”

“I think the crux of their relationship is there's no peace in being alone,” Vickers added. “Sauron eventually believes his peace will only come as a king and Galadriel is the one who's drawn that back out of him in season 1. You can view him as being repentant or manipulating her in that sense. He knows she's incredibly useful and can get him to meet the right people and be in the right circles to make these connections. Now that he's deceived her, and now that she's not told the elves about him, it would be fascinating to see how they would react to each other if they met again.”

Not telling the elves about Sauron will cause problems for Galadriel. Elrond already knows she's lied to him, with the elven scholar discovering the Southlands' royal lineage scroll, which Galadriel used to work out who Halbrand was, in the season 1 finale.

“I don't think she's going to necessarily feel she made the right decision [not telling Elrond about Sauron],” Clark told TechRadar. “The elves will get things wrong and there are consequences to that. This is a big one and I think Galadriel will realize she's made a reckless and dangerous error.”

Revealing what she's most looking forward to in season 2, Clark said: “Spending more time with the elves, whatever state those relationships are in, and just coming back to Galadriel's elvish-ness. We know she's going to become reclusive and secretive, and starting to turn into the Lady of Lothlórien. I'm excited to see what makes her decide to back away from what we've seen her throw herself into.”

As for the rings, there are 17 more to be created, including the One Ring. Will we see the Dark Lord craft his own ring next time out? Vickers wouldn't say, but he told TechRadar that Sauron “has a plan”. Take that as a yes, then.

Regarding their creation, Tolkien's source material reveals the rings for the dwarves and men (seven and nine respectively) were created alongside the elven ones. This doesn't happen in the show, which played pretty loose with some Tolkien lore in season 1.

Given Sauron can't return to Eregion, he needs to craft the other rings if he hopes to enslave the dwarven lords and kings of men. That's unless Sauron disguises himself as Annatar – like he does in Tolkien's works – and tricks Celebrimbor into fashioning the other rings. It would be weird if Celebrimbor is deceived again, though, hence why we think Sauron will need to craft them on his own.

Another big question concerns The Stranger. We know The Stranger is one of the Istari, aka one of the five wizards sent to Middle-earth by the Valar (Middle-earth's gods, essentially) to aid its races in the fight against Sauron. Funnily enough, none of the cast found out that The Stranger was a wizard until the final throes of filming.

Anyway, while we know The Stranger is a wizard, we don't know which one he is. The first season's final episode teased his real identity, but that could be a misdirect.

The Stranger and Nori are heading off to Rhûn in Middle-earth's far eastern regions to find out what his name is, more about his past, and how to channel his powers properly. Will they run into Khamûl or the two Blue Wizards (providing The Stranger isn't one of that duo)? Here's hoping.

There are other storylines that The Rings of Power season 2 needs to pick up.

For one, the fate of the Southlanders. Episode 7 confirmed the Southlands is the region that becomes Mordor after episode 6's explosive ending. Additionally, Bronwyn revealed the remaining Southlanders would resettle in Pelargir, a city on the banks of the river Anduin that becomes Gondor's main port in the Third Age.

It's unlikely season 1 will mark the end of the Southlanders' time in the show. Also, in the source material, Pelargir becomes a haven for the Faithful – Númenóreans who are friendly with the elves – during the island kingdom's moral decline in the Second Age. If events play out like they do in Tolkien's works, we'll see Elendil and company reunite with Arondir, Bronwyn, and Theo.

As for the Harfoots (minus Nori), they're headed in a different direction to The Stranger and Nori. Speaking during an episode 8 press screening Q&A, which TechRadar attended, McKay confirmed we'll be reunited with the Harfoots at some point and even teased their involvement in Hobbiton's founding.

Over in Khazad-dûm, we need a resolution to King Durin III and Prince Durin IV's familial issues. The former stripped his son of his titles during the fallout over the mining of mithril – but we think they'll eventually make amends and Durin III will agree to join the fight against Sauron. Based on Tolkien's source material, King Durin sends an army of dwarven warriors to try and save Eregion from destruction during the War of the Elves and Sauron. So it would make sense for him to see the error of his ways, and that dwarves and elves need to work together to combat the threat of the Dark Lord.

The battle for Eregion could also see Gil-galad's warrior side come out. Benjamin Walker told Nerdist that Gil-galad's spear – Aeglos – will see some action and that he'll become more of a war general in season 2. Fingers crossed we do, Benjamin.

The two Durins will also need to set their differences aside to deal with a prominent Balrog – aka Durin's Bane – in episode 7. Asked by TechRadar if we'll see Durin's Bane again soon, McKay simply teased: “Season 2, sir. Stay tuned.”

Then there's the upheaval Númenor will be afflicted with. King Palantir is dead, meaning Queen Regent Míriel should be crowned the island realm's next ruler. With Míriel blinded in episode 7, though, and based on what we know of Númenor's history, Pharazôn will make a play for the throne. That, alongside Sauron's potential return to Númenor – we don't know this will be tackled yet – will ultimately lead to the kingdom's downfall.

And what of Númenor's favorite dysfunctional family, i.e. Elendil, Isildur, and Eärien? The former will be grieving for his son – although, we know Isildur is alive, given the role he plays in Sauron's defeat in the Second Age – while still carrying out his Númenorean duties. Meanwhile, Eärien discovered the palantír in the season 1 finale. Will she use it to see into Númenor's future? Her decision to do so or not could have big implications on the kingdom, herself, and her family.

All of that said, fans will be relieved to hear The Rings of Power season 2 will follow Tolkien's materials much more closely. Co-showrunner JD Payne told The Hollywood Reporter: “Season two has a canonical story. There may well be viewers who are like, ‘This is the story we were hoping to get in season one!’ In season two, we’re giving it to them.” 

Speaking on the official Rings of Power podcast, Payne added: “[In] season 2 there is a lot more canon that we are interested in adapting and bringing to life”. That extends to some major battles in Tolkien's legendary works, with Sanders telling Deadline: “You will see bigger battles in season two including some iconic moments from the appendices and the books.”

The Rings of Power season 2 trailer: is there one?

No and there won't be for a long time. Once one is released, we'll let you know.

Will The Rings of Power get more seasons?

The Rings of Power season 2 won't be the last installment. Payne and McKay have planned for five seasons, which is already mapped out.

So far, Amazon has only greenlit two seasons but, (per Deadline) Amazon Studios co-head Vernon Sanders said: “We’re probably two to three months in on season 3, but I think there could be news certainly in the new year”. How Embracer Group's acquisition of The Lord of the Rings IP affects season 3 and other seasons – executive producer Lindsey Weber is unsure how it'll impact the series – is unclear.

The Rings of Power reached the number one spot in Nielsen's TV rankings in September 2022. Meanwhile, its two-episode premiere was also streamed by 25 million viewers in its first 24 hours, making it the most-watched Prime Video show ever. In short: don't expect The Rings of Power season 2 (or even the third season) to be the final entry.

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