Fourth Wing: Lead Actor Cast for the New Prime Video Series!
Several seasons are planned
The film adaptation of Rebecca Yarros' best-selling fantasy novel "Fourth Wing" continues to take shape. According to the industry magazine Variety, the two lead actors for the Prime Video series have now been cast. Esther McGregor and German actor Emilio Sakraya are set to star as Violet Sorrengail and Xaden Riorson.
McGregor is likely best known to many viewers from the Amazon series "We Were Liars", in which she played Mirren Sinclair Sheffield. She has also appeared in the "Star Wars" series "Obi-Wan Kenobi". Emilio Sakraya, on the other hand, has increasingly made a name for himself internationally in recent years. His best-known projects include Fatih Akin's "Rheingold", the Netflix series "Tribes of Europa", and "Warrior Nun". He will also soon be appearing in the third season of "One Piece".
Here's what Fourth Wing is about
"Fourth Wing" centers on 20-year-old Violet Sorrengail. She was actually meant to lead a relatively quiet life. Instead of fighting on the battlefield, she was supposed to devote herself to books and her training as a scribe. But her mother, an influential general, forces Violet to take part in the selection process for the Dragon Riders.
To do so, she must prove herself at the notorious Basgiath War College. The training is extremely brutal and fatal for many of the candidates. Violet faces several challenges: She is considered physically much weaker than many of her competitors and must hold her own in an environment where every mistake can have deadly consequences. At the same time, she meets Xaden Riorson, a Dragon Rider who is as powerful as he is mysterious and who plays a decisive role in Violet's story.
Rebecca Yarros's book series became a massive hit. The first novel, "Fourth Wing", was published in 2023 and went viral in the BookTok community on TikTok. But that's not all: the fantasy novel topped the New York Times bestseller list, sold over two million copies within the first six months, and was translated into about 30 languages.
The success continued: Shortly thereafter, the second novel, "Iron Flame" was published. The third volume, "Onyx Storm" followed in 2025 – and sold over 2.7 million copies within the first week. Meanwhile, fans can look forward to more installments: According to author Rebecca Yarros, the "Empyrean" series is set to comprise five books in total. However, the titles and release dates of the remaining novels have not yet been announced.
The Team Behind the Scenes
Behind the scenes, superstar Michael B. Jordan will be involved through his production company, Outlier Society. Ideally, the plan is to produce multiple seasons, each based on a different novel from the "Empyrean" series. Jordan himself will serve as an executive producer. According to the Hollywood star, however, the first step was to assemble the right team before production could begin.
Author Rebecca Yarros is also set to be part of this team. Meredith Averill will serve as showrunner. Additionally, Lisa Joy has been brought on board for the planned series: The co-creator of the science fiction series "Westworld" is set to direct the first episode of "Fourth Wing". She will also serve as an executive producer alongside Jordan, Elizabeth Raposo, Jonathan Nolan, Athena Wickham, Liz Pelletier, and Sherryl Clark. Unfortunately, it's not yet clear when the Prime Video series will premiere.