The Lord Of The Rings Returns To Its Golden Era In 2 Months

Image via MovieStillsDB Published Sep 17, 2026, 3:30 PM EDT Craig began contributing to Screen Rant in 2016 and has been ranting ever since, mostly to himself in a darkened room. After previously writing for various outlets, Craig's focus turned to TV and film, where a steady upbringing of science fiction and comic books finally became useful. Craig has previously been published by sites such as Den of Geek. Craig is an approved critic on Rotten Tomatoes. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craig-elvy-5b31a3381/ Sign in to your ScreenRant account The Lord of the Rings is currently undergoing a huge onscreen expansion. Prime Video's The Rings of Power is approaching its third season of an intended five, while Warner Bros. is following up the animated The War of the Rohirrim movie with live-action efforts The Hunt for Gollum and Shadow of the Past. Despite so much new material sprouting from the soil of Middle-earth, however, nothing has quite recaptured the magic of Peter Jackson's original trilogy from the early 2000s. All three of Jackson's The Lord of the Rings movies have had their reputations enhanced by the passage of time, and in one way or another, the newer releases from Amazon and Warner Bros. are all doing their damnedest to recreate that golden era of Tolkien adaptations. Only now is The Lord of the Rings truly revisiting the glory years of its original movie trilogy, because for the first time since The Return of the King, the franchise is moving back to the premise that brought it so much success. The Rings Of Power Season 3 Takes LOTR Back To War Image via MovieStillsDB The period of Tolkien's timeline covered by The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King is known by the dramatic title, "The War of the Ring," with the entire three-part act serving as the story of Sauron's grand comeback and even grander defeat. The Fellowship of the Ring occurs just as Sauron begins to make his presence known in Middle-earth again, then the next two installments chronicle the growing hostilities between Morgoth's minion and the Free Peoples. No other project under The Lord of the Rings' franchise umbrella has repeated that premise since. The Hobbit, of course, covers Bilbo's possession of the One Ring, and the movie adaptations give the setup to Sauron's return via the mysterious Necromancer of Dol Guldur. The War of the Rohirrim is more of a civil war between rival settlements within Rohan. The Rings of Power seasons 1 and 2 are the prequel chapters to Sauron's rise in the Second Age. Even looking at upcoming releases, The Hunt for Gollum is very much the precursor (the instigator, even) to the War of the Ring, and Shadow of the Past is a side story. The Rings of Power season 3 puts the War Between Sauron and the Elves front and center, and as a result, is The Lord of the Rings' first movie or TV project about war against Sauron since 2003's The Return of the King movie. Not only does that bode well for the new season's success, it means the new episodes should come closer than any of the aforementioned prequels and spinoffs to recreating the feel of Jackson's iconic trilogy. In fact, this isn't just The Lord of the Rings' first depiction of war against Sauron since 2003, it's the first depiction of any major Middle-earth conflict. The Battle of Five Armies in The Hobbit and Helm Hammerhand's civil war were both much smaller in scale, while The Rings of Power has limited itself to brief flashbacks from the War of Wrath thus far. The Rings of Power season 3 is taking us back to what The Lord of the Rings looks like during a large fantasy clash between good and evil. Is This The Biggest Difference Between The Lord Of The Rings Onscreen & In The Books The Lord of the Rings adapting another huge war from Tolkien's work is a big deal, and that perfectly highlights one of the most glaring disconnects between the books and the movie and TV versions. Because war is, of course, a major theme in the source material, but it's hardly a defining trait. Whether on the big or small screen, the visual medium naturally amplifies the spectacle of a battlefield packed with flying arrows, bloody swords, and hellish creatures. Christopher Tolkien once described Peter Jackson's take on The Lord of the Rings as "an action movie for young people," and the franchise's golden era being about heroes waging war against Sauron perhaps proves his point. Because The Rings of Power season 3's story will almost certainly take Amazon's series closer to the style and tone of Jackson's movies, but won't necessarily make it more faithful to or reminiscent of Tolkien's books.