Sauron is gathering his forces, the Balrog is back and the new trailer for THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RINGS OF POWER promises a Middle-earth under siege when Season 3 arrives Nov. 11.
“This is an intelligent, strategic, dangerous adversary, and we think of him as a character,” co-showrunner and executive producer Patrick McKay said of the Balrog during the show’s July panel at San Diego Comic-Con, as reported by GamesRadar+.
That makes actor Simon Pegg’s arrival a little more intriguing than a familiar voice behind a towering creature. Pegg will voice the Balrog this season, and McKay explained at the panel that Sauron will seek the creature’s knowledge as he pursues the power needed to forge the One Ring.
The trailer released Oct. 21 brings that looming struggle into focus, with Sauron’s army threatening Middle-earth while its defenders fight back. The season’s conflict stretches well beyond a single battlefield: the Elves struggle to hold their lines, the Dwarves face family tensions and Númenor edges toward civil war.
Prime Video’s synopsis also sends Gandalf into the eastern lands of Rhûn, where he must use both persuasion and his powers against the gathering darkness. The challenge is not simply finding enough fighters; the free peoples must find a way to stand together.
According to Amazon’s official Season 3 guide, five years have passed since the fall of Eregion. Sauron’s conquests have left only isolated strongholds in his way, including Khazad-dûm and the Elven realms of Lindon and Rivendell.
Related: THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RINGS OF POWER: Episode 1.8: “Alloyed”
In Mordor, his newly completed tower of Barad-dûr gives him a base for his next ambition. He wants the One Ring to break the resistance that remains and bring all life under his control.
“We love the idea that even if you’ve maybe never seen the first two seasons, Season 3 is a great place to jump in because the stories are starting in a brand new spot,” McKay said.
For returning viewers, that jump means catching up with changed relationships and places rather than picking up immediately after Season 2. McKay pointed to the establishment of Rivendell and the construction of Barad-dûr as examples of how much has happened between chapters.
“Hit the ground running from the first minute of Season 3 and hopefully never let up,” McKay said of the team’s hopes for the season’s pace.
The cast also brings a long-absent relationship into the story. Actor Jamie Campbell Bower joins as Celeborn, the long-lost husband of Galadriel, whom actress Morfydd Clark plays, while actor Charlie Vickers returns as Sauron.
Actor Zubin Varla joins as Khamûl, the Easterling of Rhûn, adding another new face to a season already crowded with competing powers. Pegg’s speaking Balrog, meanwhile, gives Sauron an adversary McKay described as something far more calculating than a mindless monster.
Viewers will not have to stretch this chapter across eight weekly releases. Prime Video will release the first four episodes Nov. 11, followed by Episodes 5 and 6 on Nov. 18 and the final two on Nov. 25.
All 16 episodes from the first two seasons are already streaming on Prime Video for anyone who wants a refresher before returning to Middle-earth. With the new season opening five years later, that catch-up comes with a useful reminder: the heroes have been living through a war while viewers have been away.
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