‘The Rings of Power’ Finally Shows Sauron Forging the One Ring on Screen, Says Charlie Wickers
Few objects in pop culture are as recognizable as the One Ring, yet the story of how it was made has barely been told on screen. Prime Video’s ‘The Rings of Power’ is now ready to change that. The forging of the One Ring is coming, and the actor behind Sauron is excited for fans to see it.
The new season of the Tolkien prequel arrives on Wednesday, November 11, with the first 4 episodes. Episodes 5 and 6 follow on November 18, and the final 2 episodes land on November 25. It is a compact release, but it promises to be one of the series’ darkest stretches.
Charlie Vickers, who plays Sauron, has been talking up one moment in particular. Speaking to ComicBook.com, he said fans know the One Ring well from ‘The Lord of the Rings,’ but have never seen its creation in a long format. He added that the team has come up with “quite a cool interpretation of it.”
Charlie Vickers teases how THE RINGS OF POWER Season 3 will bring a major moment from Middle-earth’s history to life in a way fans have never seen on screen before. “Everyone knows about The One Ring when it comes to the Lord of the Rings, but we’ve never seen it on screen before in a long format. I think we’ve done quite a cool interpretation of it.” @TheRingsofPower @chriskillian #RingsOfPower The Rings of Power Season three debuts on Prime Video on November 11
— ComicBook.com (@ComicBook) October 29, 2026
Vickers framed the moment from a fan’s point of view. He said that if he were watching the series without being involved, the forging of the One Ring is probably what he would be most eager to see, because it has become such a pop culture touchstone. He described the season as essentially Sauron’s journey toward making it.
Audiences have caught brief glimpses of the Ring’s origins before, such as in flashback sequences in Peter Jackson’s original trilogy. What is different here is the scale. This time, the process gets room to unfold over multiple episodes rather than a few seconds of prologue.
One of the more intriguing details is that Sauron does not begin the season with a clear plan. Vickers has suggested viewers will see him at the start not knowing how to do it. We know he will succeed, but watching him work through the challenge could add real tension.
That fits where the last season left him. Sauron ended the previous chapter with Fëanor’s hammer in hand and experience in ring-making, but without Celebrimbor, who died without revealing the location of the remaining rings. Vickers himself had called the One Ring’s creation the next logical step in an earlier interview with TechRadar.
The new season jumps ahead 5 years, to the height of the war between the Elves and Sauron. By then, the Dark Lord rules Mordor and is trying to forge the One Ring to gain the edge he needs to conquer Middle-earth. The teaser, which debuted at San Diego Comic-Con, leaned into that darker tone.
Footage reportedly shows Sauron successfully forging the Ring inside Mount Doom, along with full-scale warfare breaking out across Middle-earth. Realms are forced to form alliances to stand against him.
The cast is growing. Jamie Campbell Bower joins as Celeborn, Galadriel’s long-missing husband, and Simon Pegg will voice the Balrog, which the panel confirmed will speak. Zubin Varla plays Khamûl the Easterling, one of Sauron’s ring servants and an early version of the Nazgûl.
Morfydd Clark returns as Galadriel, Robert Aramayo as Elrond and Ismael Cruz Córdova as Arondir. Daniel Weyman is also set to return as Gandalf, and Rory Kinnear is expected back as Tom Bombadil. A new Orc named Marnûkh is among the additions.
This season, One Ring to rule them all. Watch the official trailer now, then witness Season 3 beginning November 11. https://t.co/YjH5I0bCEu
— The Lord of the Rings (@TheRingsofPower) October 21, 2026
The new season lands in the middle of the 5-season plan that showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay have laid out for the series. That makes it a pivotal chapter, because it is where the story’s central object finally takes shape. The wait between seasons has been just over 2 years, about the same as the gap before the previous one.
Early buzz has also centered on Vickers. First reactions have called his Sauron a secret weapon for the series, which suggests the performance may be a major draw. After a season in which he played the charming Annatar, seeing him struggle, fail and then succeed at the Ring could be the most dramatic turn yet.
Expect a mix of spectacle and character study. The forging is likely to be a big set piece, but the more interesting part may be what it costs Sauron to get there and how it affects everyone around him. For a show that has had to prove itself to Tolkien fans, delivering this scene well could matter more than any other.
With the premiere less than 2 weeks away, the first look at the Ring’s creation is close. It is the kind of scene that fans have waited years to see, and the series seems confident it has found a fresh way to tell it.
What are you most excited to see in 'The Rings of Power' Season 3?
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