Considering the big-ticket investment Amazon Prime Video has made in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power so far, it’s a little surprising the streamer hasn’t officially confirmed a third season is on the way, especially after all the dangling threads left at the recent end of season two. But the decision-makers appear to still be very, very jazzed about their expensive show.

Speaking to Variety, Jennifer Salke, the head of Amazon MGM Studios, was asked what she thought about the reactions to Rings of Power‘s second season, and she went right to talking about viewership numbers. “Obviously very different marketing levels and all of that [to season one],” Salke told the trade. “But that being said, over 55 million people at this point have engaged since season two launched. And if you look at the long-term trajectory, which is how this company looks at an asset like that, this is a long-term investment in that franchise. […] There’s well over 150 million viewers watching and engaging with the show. So I feel really good. I think we all do.”

Variety followed up by asking if Amazon is still committed to—as reports in Variety and elsewhere ahead of season one indicated—completing 50 total episodes of the show. “[That] commitment is never the thing that’s driving what we’re doing,” Salke said. “We’ll continue to make the show as long as we see global customers loving it and watching it to the point where—it is a business. Obviously, we need a large amount of people showing up. And there are a large amount of people, so there’s no debate about whether or not the show will continue.”

That’s good news for fans of the show, since viewing numbers—never a straightforward figure to interpret in the streaming era—seemed to indicate fewer viewers were tuning in for the sophomore season of a show whose first season experienced an alarming decrease in audience as it progressed. However, it’s long been suggested Rings of Power has a five-season plan. Since both seasons have clocked in at eight episodes each, the series’ total run would fall short of 50 if that math keeps up. Could 40 total episodes be a more accurate goal at this point?

Granted, it seems a little silly to be wondering how many episodes Rings of Power will be when season three has yet to be officially announced. A week ago, the Hollywood Reporter said it was “on the verge” of happening, and predicted we’d get an update by the end of October. With Salke’s optimistic remarks to Variety adding even more fuel to the fire, it sounds like a return to Middle-earth is all but assured.

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