Dragon smut fans, stop what you're doing. The cast of the hotly anticipated Fourth Wing adaptation on Prime Video has finally been announced – and fans are elated.
For those who don't know, Fourth Wing is a new adult fantasy romance written by the American author Rebecca Yarros. It is the first book in the Empyrean series, following the journey of Violet Sorrengail, who is forced by her mother, General Sorrengail, to join the Basgiath War College and become a dragon rider in the kingdom of Navarre. And yes, it's steamy.
Fans of the novel have been imagining who might play the lead roles of Violet Sorrengail and Xaden Riorson, who follow an enemies to lovers trajectory, since the book was first published in 2023. There is no doubt, then, that these roles will boost the actors' respective profiles and could even transform their careers.
Meet the Fourth Wing cast
Esther McGregor plays Violet Sorrengail
Esther McGregor, 24, is a British actress and model who is best known for her roles in We Were Liars, High School and Babygirl. You might recognise her surname – her father is the Golden Globe-winning Scottish actor Ewan McGregor and her mother is the French-Greek production designer Eve Mavrakis. Her step-mother, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, is also an actress.
In 2022 she told Vanity Fair, 'My parents never let me do anything onscreen until I was old enough to executively make the decision, and also old enough to be a human on set.'
Esther has also starred in Life Is Strange and opposite Zach Braff in Clean Hands.
Emilio Sakraya plays Xaden Riorson
Emilio Sakraya Moutaoukkil is a German actor and singer. He is best known for his roles in Rhinegold, Tribes of Europa and Warrior Nun. He has gained notoriety for his performances in both German and international productions.
Emilio is 30 and was born in Berlin to Meryem Moutaoukkil, a Morroccan-German actress and a Serbian father. He began acting at the age of nine, first appearing in a TV advert, but made his film debut in 2010 in Zeitan andern dich.
In 2017, he gained attention for his role in Sons and Fathers. In 2019, he starred as JC in the Netflix fantasy series Warrior Nun. In 2022, he was selected for the Shooting Stars Award, recognising him as one of Europe's most promising actors.
It sounds like Fourth Wing is in safe hands.
When does the Fourth Wing series come out?
The Prime Video adaptation of Rebecca Yarros's novel does not have an official release date yet. Now that the lead actors have been confirmed, we can expect to hear an update soon (but it won't be imminent as filming hasn't even started).
What happens in Fourth Wing?
Amazon has confirmed the TV show is set for a five season run, so we can expect the first series to be based on the first book alone.
At Basgiath War College, Violet Sorrengail joins hundreds of candidates learning to become dragon riders, she faces deadly survival training and treacherous dragon bonding exercises, while navigating rivalries and romance at college, including with wingleader Xaden Riorson.
Violet suffers from a condition that makes her more fragile than other students and is therefore forced to use her wits and intelligence (and the art of seduction) to succeed.
Nikki Peach is a senior writer at Grazia, working across news, entertainment, features. She has also written for the i, i-D and the New Statesman Media Group and covers all things pop culture for Grazia (treating high and lowbrow with equal respect).