New photos have emerged from the upcoming third season of Amazon Prime Video’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” the two shots offering a first look at actor Charlie Vickers in full Sauron-garb.
Posing as a human in the first season and an elf in the second, Morgoth’s heir Sauron now slips into his iconic crowned and black garb for the third season in the shots which were first published at Empire.
Speaking with the outlet, co-showrunners Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne say this will be a very big season for the show:
McKay: “This is the season where Sauron makes the One Ring in the volcano…We have a full-on villain this season, in a way that was quite different before.”
Payne: “[It] changes the tone of the show..This third season is darker, more dangerous. No one is safe.”
In the lore, Sauron crafts the One Ring to wield it to bend the other ringbearers to his will; the rings in the possession of men end up leading to their corruption and transformation into the Nazgul.
Speaking about it, Vickers says the forging sequence took a good amount of time: “We were doing the [forging of the One] Ring across two weeks, because the sequence is so long.”
The third season of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” will premiere on the streamer on November 11th.
EXCLUSIVE
The Rings Of Power Season 3 will finally see Sauron forge the One Ring in Mordor.
“No-one is safe,” co-showrunner Patrick McKay tells Empire. “This third season is darker, more dangerous.”
Read more: https://t.co/5tYakApFOD pic.twitter.com/WMLHW9spcH
— Empire (@empiremagazine) July 20, 2026
Darkness rises in Middle-earth
Empire's world-exclusive The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power Season 3 issue is coming – going on set with Sauron, Gandalf, Galadriel and more for one season to rule them all. On sale July 30.
READ MORE: https://t.co/Iyb8JT8vKn pic.twitter.com/8y8FUlzU6j
— Empire (@empiremagazine) July 20, 2026
