• Amazon has provided an update on The Rings of Power season 3
• Filming is underway on the Prime Video show’s next installment
• The Lord of the Rings prequel series has also added three new actors to its cast

Amazon has announced the latest cast additions to The Rings of Power as principal photography finally gets underway on the hit show’s third season.

In a press release, the company confirmed filming had recently begun on The Rings of Power season 3 at Shepperton Studios in the UK. That’s the same location at which The Lord of the Rings prequel series’ second season was shot and produced.

Three new cast members were also revealed as part of the high fantasy Prime Video show’s next chapter.

Andrew Richardson, who some viewers might recognize from Apple TV+ sci-fi miniseries Extrapolations, will feature as a season 3 regular. Zubin Varla, who portrayed Xanwan in Andor‘s first season on Disney+, and Adam Young, who appeared in two episodes of Apple TV Original Masters of the Air, are also on board in recurring roles.

The trio join fellow season 3 newcomers Jamie-Campbell Bower and Eddie Marsan on the cast roster, with the Stranger Things and Heartstopper stars signing on in late February. That pair’s hiring came two weeks after Amazon MGM Studios officially renewed The Rings of Power for a third season.

Which characters will Richardson, Varla, and Young play in The Rings of Power season 3?

We don’t know. Amazon hasn’t revealed who they’ll portray in one of the best Prime Video shows‘ third installment, but that won’t stop me from speculating on who they might play.

Per its official plot brief, The Rings of Power season 3 will “jump forward several years” to the height of the War of the Elves and Sauron. This near-decade long conflict should form the basis of next season’s plot alongside Sauron’s creation of the One Ring. It’s possible, then, that Richardson, Varla, and Young could simply be new characters who are commanders, lieutenants, or ordinary soldiers for each army.

However, it’s also a possibility that one or more of them could assume the role of established characters who populate Middle-earth in J.R.R. Tolkien’s literary works.

I previously suggested that Marsan could play Durin IV’s brother, who might vie with his sibling for Khazad-dûm’s throne next season. Could someone like Varla, though, play him instead?

Then there’s the prospect that one of next season’s subplots will center on Sauron gifting the final nine Rings of Power to the Kings of Men.

Canonically, Middle-earth’s Dark Lord does so before he fashions the One Ring to Rule Them All. The Rings of Power has been pretty liberal in its depiction of how and when events play out in the Second Age, but it wouldn’t make sense if Sauron creates his own ring before presenting the remaining rings to the individuals who’ll become his most trusted lieutenants, aka the Ringwraiths. After all, he can’t use the Kings of Men’s rings to bend them to his will without the One Ring.

So, if and when the Kings of Men are presented with this nonuplet, it’s plausible that Richardson, Varla, and/or Young might play some of these individuals. That includes the monarch who goes on to become The Witch-King of Angmar and Khamul the Easterling, the latter of whom also becomes one of the nine Ringwraiths.

Season 3 doesn’t have a release date yet, so we’ll be waiting a while to find out who these actors will play. For now, get further insights into what next season’s story might entail by checking out my ending explainer on The Rings of Power season 2, or checking out some of my exclusive season 2 finale coverage below.

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As TechRadar’s senior entertainment reporter, Tom covers all of the latest movies, TV shows, and streaming service news that you need to know about. You’ll regularly find him writing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus, and many other topics of interest.

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