Rings of Power Showrunner Shares Biggest Disappointment About Upcoming Seasons

The Rings of Power Season 2 introduced an iconic wizard from the original Lords of the Rings trilogy, but don’t expect another major character from the movie franchise to appear in the Prime Video series. The latest season followed Sauron continuing his quest to rule Middle-earth and pit its civilizations against each other with the titular magical jewelry. Ahead of the anticipated Season 3 renewal, the showrunners behind the hit streaming show have revealed that their personal favorite character will not be showing up in The Rings of Power — Gollum.

During a Q&A on Reddit, The Rings of Power showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay were asked about their favorite part of The Lord of the Rings canon that they are certain won’t be a part of upcoming seasons. Payne gives a general answer, teasing there are plenty of things they hope to introduce in The Rings of Power but are simply waiting for the go-ahead from the studio and the J.R.R. Tolkien estate. However, McKay has a more direct response and revealed that Gollum, one of his favorite Lord of the Rings characters, will not be appearing in the streaming series at any point.

“I don’t have a better answer than that other than to say, you know, Gollum is one of my favorite characters in the legendarium. He’s such a rich, complex character but I can’t imagine a world where we would ever do anything with him in this show. Even at the very, very end. Which is too bad because he’s so great, but then also maybe it’s a good thing because he was done so brilliantly and iconically in the films by Peter and his collaborators and Andy Serkis. But it’s like, that’s a toy that would be fun to be able to play with.”

For longtime fans of the franchise, Gollum’s absence will not come as a surprise. After all, The Rings of Power takes place during the Second Age, thousands of years before the events of The Lord of the Rings, and the birth of Sméagol aka Gollum. However, the series has not been afraid to shift timelines once in a while, especially since the vast canon can be so ambiguous (or straight-up missing) at times. The Rings of Power likes to fill in the blanks of an underrepresented part of Middle-earth history in the Second Age. That said, it is still unlikely that the ring-obsessed creature will appear on the small screen at some point soon, but that doesn’t mean audiences will be Gollum-less much longer.

Gollum is Back on the Big Screen

Andy Serkis is set to return to the role made famous in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy in an upcoming spinoff titled The Hunt for Gollum. The upcoming film sees the long-standing franchise return to the theaters after the divisive Hobbit series, which also included Gollum in a minor role. It will take place before the events of Fellowship of the Ring, making it a prequel of sorts that could also include other familiar characters (*cough* Gandalf *cough*). Another film is on the way as well, but that one is being kept behind closed doors. The Rings of Power will understandably miss out on including Gollum, among others, but it won’t be too long until fans see Serkis reprise his role again.

Although The Rings of Power Season 3 is not confirmed just yet, it is expected to get a renewal at some point this year by Amazon. The streamer is determined to honor its five-season commitment, first revealed when the show was announced years ago. Some fans are still not bought into The Rings of Power, but it is still raking in record-breaking viewership for Prime Video. No matter the case, Warner Bros. seems to want to compete alongside the series with brand-new films, including the anime movie out later this year, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim.

This epic drama is set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and takes viewers back to an era in which great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and fell to ruin, unlikely heroes were tested, hope hung by the finest of threads, and the greatest villain that ever flowed from Tolkien’s pen threatened to cover all the world in darkness. Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth. From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone.

Release Date

September 2, 2022