LOTR: The Rings of Power Gets a Big Casting Update as Season 3 Starts Production

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power adds three new cast members to its upcoming third season.

Per IGN, three new cast members have been signed on for Season 3 of the hit fantasy streaming series. Extrapolations star Andrew Richardson, Andor actor Zubin Varla, and The Witcher: Blood Origin‘s Adam Young have all signed on for the third season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, though no details are available regarding what roles the three will be playing. It was noted, however, that Richardson will debut as a new series regular, whereas Varla and Young will have recurring roles on the show.

Developed by showrunners J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is set thousands of years prior to the events of The Hobbit and the main The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The series opens during a time of relative peace in Middle-earth before covering the events of the Second Age, chiefly the forging of the Rings of Power, the fall of Númenor, the last alliance between Elves and humankind, and, perhaps most importantly, the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron.

Across its first two seasons, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power introduced a plethora of beloved characters from J.R.R. Tolkien’s original novels, ranging from Sara Zwangobani’s Marigold Brandyfoot to Rory Kinnear’s take on the infamous and iconic Tom Bombadil. Both seasons of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power have been met with largely positive reviews from critics and audiences alike. As of the time of writing, Seasons 1 and 2 hold matching 84% “Fresh” ratings via review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, as averaged across 489 and 170 critical reviews, respectively.

What Season 3 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Has in Store for Audiences

While fans have heard little in the way of details regarding the story at hand in Season 3 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, it has been confirmed that the next season will take place after a significant time skip. Per the official logline for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 3, “Jumping forward several years from the events of Season 2, Season 3 takes place at the height of the War of the Elves and Sauron, as the Dark Lord seeks to craft the One Ring that will give him the edge he needs to win the war and conquer all Middle-earth at last.”