Jamie Campbell Bower’s role in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 3 has been confirmed, and he’s playing the character that we expected. The Stranger Things star is set to make his first appearance in Prime Video’s fantasy show this fall, and he won’t be stepping into the role of the villain this time around. It was revealed that Bower was joining the cast of Season 3 back in 2025, but details about his character have been kept quiet since. That didn’t prevent fans from speculating, however — and as it turns out, the actor will be portraying exactly who many of us anticipated.
In an exclusive with Empire, it was confirmed that Bower will bring Celeborn to life in the Lord of the Rings series. The legendary Elf — and Galadriel’s husband — has been missing from The Rings of Power thus far. His absence has been heavily discussed by fans, and when Bower was announced, many assumed he’d be filling that slot. After all, he has the perfect look for one of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Elves, and Deadline described his character as a “handsome high-born knight” and potentially a “new love interest for Galadriel.”
EXCLUSIVE
Jamie Campbell Bower’s role in The Rings Of Power Season 3 is confirmed: he plays Celeborn.
The Elf lord is a “lover-boy”, Bower tells Empire, teasing a romance with Galadriel. “This idea of longing and yearning is so pervasive.”
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The confirmation comes on the heels of The Rings of Power Season 3 teasing Sauron’s new look — and all of this pre-San Diego Comic-Con news is building hype ahead of its November 11 premiere. In the feature with Empire, Bower and Galadriel actress Morfydd Clark teased what to expect from the former’s character, too. Their words suggest he’s going to make a perfect Celeborn.
After his run as Vecna in Stranger Things Seasons 4 and 5, fans of Bower might have trouble envisioning him as one of Tolkien’s heroes. It sounds like he’s leaned into the change, however. In particular, he emphasized the character’s deep love for Galadriel when speaking with Empire:
“This idea of longing and yearning is so pervasive in Tolkien’s relationship with Edith for the time that they were apart. I really feasted on that idea. Celeborn has had to find a way to survive whilst longing for something that he so dearly loved and so dearly missed as well.”
Clark agrees that he nails the appearance of the Elf, too, telling the outlet, “But Jamie looks exactly like how I would imagine Celeborn. He’s such an Elf.” Overall, it sounds like he’s the perfect person for the job. And it’ll be nice to finally see the character after two outings without him.
Bower’s appearance as Celeborn comes after two seasons of The Rings of Power, but given what we’re told of the character, his sudden arrival in Season 3 will make sense in the context of this story — and present a prime opportunity to showcase the depth of his bond with Galadriel. Season 1 suggests that he’s missing and likely dead, but it’s Galadriel who makes the latter assumption. We never see a body, and it doesn’t match with his fate in Tolkien’s lore. As a result, it was largely assumed Galadriel would be proven wrong. The Rings of Power is just too good of an opportunity to explore an iconic figure like Celeborn further on-screen. It’s not clear where he’s been all this time, but perhaps Bower’s character will bring news that can help in the fight against Sauron.
The Rings of Power Season 3 debuts on Prime Video on November 11, 2026.
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