Esther McGregor and Emilio Sakraya have officially been cast in the lead roles in the upcoming Fourth Wing TV series, based on Rebecca Yarros’ bestselling Empyrean book series. The confirmation arrives following our report last week of the casting of McGregor as Violet Sorrengail and Sakraya as Xaden Riorson.
In Fourth Wing, Violet Sorrengail is forced by her mother to enter the brutal world of Basgiath War College. She joins hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of the country of Navarre: 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 switch paths and become a dragon rider.
Far from the safety of the Archives where Scribes record the history of Navarre and keep records, Violet walks the parapet to bond with a dragon and undertake the very dangerous and highly fatal occupation. There, she encounters Xaden Riorson, a descendant of a rebellious sect of the population and a generally mysterious, brooding cadet with shadow-wielding powers. The one rule of Basgiath War College is “graduate or die.” Riders without their dragons are as good as dead, and vice versa, which stresses the bond between human and beast formed on Threshing Day.
“I’m so grateful to our producing and casting team for conducting a thorough, worldwide search to find Violet and Xaden,” said Yarros. “It will be incredibly exciting to see these talented actors, Esther and Emilio, bring our beloved characters to life on screen.”
“Few stories have inspired the kind of passionate, worldwide fandom that Rebecca Yarros has built with Fourth Wing, and we know just how much Violet and Xaden mean to readers,” shared Peter Friedlander, Head of Global Television, Amazon MGM Studios. “Esther and Emilio are rare and exceptional talents who bring something truly special to these iconic roles.”
Amazon MGM Studios snapped up the rights to the Empyrean book series for TV development in 2023, but it wasn’t picked up until this May when the streamer officially greenlit the series. Averill officially joined the series as showrunner and executive producer in September 2025. The greenlight included Lisa Joy as director of the series premiere and executive producer.
The plan is, if successful, to adapt the rest of the novels over multiple seasons. The Empyrean book series consists of five books, with Fourth Wing (2023), Iron Flame (2023), and Onyx Storm (2025) as the first three titles. Yarros is currently working on a fourth novel, which is as yet untitled, and a fifth will follow. She recently released a companion book of 13 short stories written from the point of view of dragon riders focusing on when they met their dragons, titled Threshing Day. It’s as-yet-unknown whether the new book will be included in the series, but it would make sense to feature some or all of the moments.
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 produce via Outlier Society; Nolan, Joy, and Athena Wickham via Kilter Films; Liz Pelletier and Sherryl Clark via Premeditated Productions.