Prime Video's 'Fourth Wing' Casts Esther McGregor and Emilio Sakraya as Leads
Prime Video has found its Violet and Xaden. Esther McGregor and Emilio Sakraya will lead the streamer's long-awaited series adaptation of Rebecca Yarros' bestselling romantasy novel "Fourth Wing."
McGregor will play Violet Sorrengail, and Sakraya will play Xaden Riorson, TheWrap reported Thursday. Amazon declined to comment on the casting.
Meet the New Violet
McGregor, the daughter of Scottish actor Ewan McGregor, rose to prominence playing Mirren Sinclair in Prime Video's "We Were Liars," which premiered in 2025 and is now filming its second season. Her other credits include the film "Babygirl," Pedro Almodóvar's "The Room Next Door," Disney+'s "Obi-Wan Kenobi" and "Bleeding Love," in which she starred alongside her father and her sister Clara McGregor.
She is currently filming another Prime Video series, "Life Is Strange," which is based on the popular video game, according to The Scotsman.
In the books, Violet is a 20-year-old who plans to join the Scribe Quadrant and live a quiet life among books and history. Instead, her mother, a commanding general, orders her to become a dragon rider candidate at the brutal Basgiath War College. Over the course of the story, she bonds with not one but two dragons.
A Fan Favorite for Xaden
Sakraya, a German actor, is known for "Warrior Nun," "Those About to Die," "Tribes of Europa," "Rhinegold" and "Sixty Minutes." He just wrapped filming the third season of Netflix's "One Piece," where he plays Koza, the leader of a rebel army.
The casting is likely to please readers, since many book fans had already picked Sakraya as their dream choice for the role. His name had circulated in fan casting discussions for months, alongside names like Josh Heuston and Mackenzie Foy.
Xaden is a mysterious, shadow-wielding cadet and wing leader whose parents were part of a failed rebellion. His rivalry with Violet slowly turns into a romance, Brit + Co noted.
"Graduate or Die"
At Basgiath, there are more cadets than dragons, and the school's rule is simple: graduate or die. Violet must compete with hundreds of other candidates to become one of Navarre's elite dragon riders. Along the way, she and Xaden form a bond, according to TheWrap.
Who's Behind the Series
Amazon MGM Studios acquired the TV rights in 2023 and officially greenlit the series in May. Meredith Averill, known for "The Haunting of Hill House," is the writer, showrunner and an executive producer. Lisa Joy of "Westworld" will direct the first episode.
Executive producers include Michael B. Jordan and Elizabeth Raposo of Outlier Society, Jonathan Nolan and Athena Wickham of Kilter Films, and Liz Pelletier and Sherryl Clark of Premeditated Productions. Yarros is also an executive producer.
If the first season succeeds, the plan is to adapt the rest of the novels across multiple seasons.
The road to the screen has taken a while. Prime Video first announced in October 2023 that it would adapt Yarros' entire Empyrean series. Original showrunner Moira Walley-Beckett later left the project, and Averill, who also executive produced the second season of "Wednesday," was brought on as her replacement in 2025, AOL reported.
Jordan has acknowledged the pressure that comes with such a beloved book. "It's early stages, but I feel how much people care about this one," he told Deadline in January.
A Growing Book Series
"Fourth Wing" is the first book in Yarros' planned five-book Empyrean series. It was followed by "Iron Flame" in 2023 and "Onyx Storm" in 2025. Earlier this year, Yarros also released "Threshing Day," a novella collection set in the same world.
Books four and five have been confirmed, but no titles or release dates have been announced. Prime Video also has not announced a premiere date for the series.
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