The TV adaptation of Rebecca Yarros’s fantasy romance novel Fourth Wing is one step closer to the screen, with its two lead roles now reportedly filled.
Esther McGregor and Emilio Sakraya have been cast in Prime Video’s adaptation of the bestselling book Amazon declined to comment on the reports
McGregor will reportedly play Violet Sorrengail, opposite Sakraya as Xaden Riorson.
McGregor is the daughter of Star Wars actor Ewan McGregor. She previously appeared in Prime Video’s We Were Liars and Disney+’s Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Sakraya, a German actor, is known for his roles in Netflix’s Warrior Nun and Tribes of Europa, and is set to appear in Season 3 of Netflix’s live-action One Piece series.
In the novel, Violet is forced by her mother, a powerful general, to abandon her plans to become a scribe and instead train as a dragon rider at Basgiath War College, where cadets compete for a limited number of dragons, and some are killed.
There, she becomes drawn to Xaden, a ruthless wingleader who threatens her and whose father led a rebellion against the kingdom of Navarre.
Inside the BookTok phenomenon
The novel, published in May 2023, became a viral hit on TikTok’s book community, known as BookTok, and helped fuel the popularity of “romantasy,” a genre that combines romance and fantasy.
TikTok videos related to Fourth Wing had amassed more than 1 billion views by November 2023, according to the Los Angeles Times, which described the novel as a “sensation.”
The book launched the Empyrean series, which includes the sequels Iron Flame and Onyx Storm. The series had sold more than 12 million copies in the U.S. by early 2025, according to publisher Entangled. A companion book, Threshing Day, was released in September.
Onyx Storm sold nearly 1.3 million print copies in its first week at retailers tracked by Circana BookScan. Circana said it was the fastest-selling adult title in the tracking service’s history, which dates to 2004.
Fans packed midnight launch parties at bookstores for the sequels, with some dressing up and playing themed games. The Los Angeles Times said the excitement at the Iron Flame launch was reminiscent of the Harry Potter, Twilight and Hunger Games franchises.
In an interview with PBS in January 2024, Yarros credited BookTok as the reason that Fourth Wing “took off.” She said, “I think BookTok is one of the last areas where readers are really in control of what’s put out there. Publishers can’t control the marketing or anything they say. It’s all word of mouth on BookTok.”
Ashley Doliber, a senior director of marketing strategy at Entangled, told USA Today that the “escapism aspect is certainly key” to the success of romantasy. The Guardian‘s Emily Mulligan said many fans of the genre have “senior jobs” and “stressful workloads,” which may be why they “immerse themselves” in fantasy worlds.
Amazon has been working to bring Fourth Wing to TV since 2023, with Michael B. Jordan among the producers. Meredith Averill, whose credits include The Haunting of Hill House and Locke & Key, is serving as showrunner.
Westworld co-creator Lisa Joy is attached to direct the first episode. “We’re building a cinematic world,” she said at an Amazon event in May, adding that the goal is “to deliver the series this fandom deserves.”
Four of Yarros’s other novels are also being adapted for film or TV: The Things We Leave Unfinished, In the Likely Event, The Last LetterandVariation.
A premiere date for Fourth Wing has not yet been announced.
