Lightning strikes as Prime Video found its main stars for upcoming TV series Fourth wing, the small screen adaptation of the bestselling novel of the same name by Rebecca Yarros, from showrunner and EP Meredith Averill.
Esther McGregor (We were liars, Little girl) was cast as Violet Sorrengail and Emilio Sakraya (Those who are about to die, Warrior Nun) will bring to life the character of Xaden Riorson, sources close to the production told Deadline. Violet and Xaden are enemies turned lovers in the books.
Amazon declined to comment.
In the fantasy adventure, Violet is forced by her mother to enter the brutal world of the Basgiath War College. She joins hundreds of candidates who are fighting to become the elite of the country of Navarre: the dragon riders.
In the book, 20-year-old Violet feels well on her way to becoming a Scribe (historian), following in the footsteps of her father, Asher, when her mother, General Lilith Sorrengail, makes her change paths and become a dragon rider.
Far from the safety of the Archives where scribes record Navarre’s history and keep records, Violet travels the parapet to bond with a dragon and undertake this very dangerous and highly deadly occupation. There she meets Xaden Riorson, a descendant of a rebellious sect of the populace and a generally mysterious and brooding cadet with shadow-wielding powers. The only rule at Basgiath War College is “graduate or die”. The riders without their dragons are as good as dead, and vice versa, which highlights the bond between human and beast formed on the day of the threshing.
Amazon MGM Studios acquired the rights to the Empyrean book series for television development in 2023, but they weren’t picked up until last May, when the streamer officially greenlit the series. Averill officially joined the series as showrunner and executive producer in September 2025. The green light included Lisa Joy as series premiere director and executive producer.
The plan is, if successful, to adapt the rest of the novels over several seasons. The Empyrean book series consists of five books, with Fourth wing (2023), Iron Flame (2023), and Onyx Storm (2025) like the first three titles. Yarros is currently working on a fourth novel, as yet untitled, and a fifth will follow. She recently published a companion book of 13 short stories written from the perspective of dragon riders, focusing on the moment they met their dragons, titled Threshing day. It is not yet known whether the new book will be included in the series, but it would make sense to feature all or part of it.
The series comes from Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society, Jonathan Nolan and Joy’s Kilter Films and Premeditated Productions. Jordan and Elizabeth Raposo, executive producers via Outlier Society; Nolan, Joy and Athena Wickham via Kilter Films; Liz Pelletier and Sherryl Clark via Premeditated Productions.
McGregor is currently filming Life is strange for Prime Video, based on the video game. She also recently starred in the television adaptation of E. Lockhart, We Were Liars, for Prime Video. Her film credits include Babygirl and Pedro Almodóvar The room next door. She previously performed with her father, Ewan McGregor, and sister, Clara McGregor, at the SXSW 2023 world premiere of Bleeding Love. On the TV side, she also appeared in the Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Sakraya’s schedule is also busy and busy, having recently completed her work on the hit Netflix series. One pieceThe third season coming soon. In a recurring role, he will play the character of Koza, leader of the rebel army. Among Fourth wing fans, Sakraya was a top choice for the role of Xaden Riorson. His previous credits include the series Peacock Those who are about to diemixed martial arts feature Sixty minutesthe Netflix series Tribes of EuropeAnd Warrior nunalso for the streamer.
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