The book world was changed when author Rebecca Yarros came along and published the romantasy novel that swept everyone off their feet. Fourth Wing is the first book of Yarros’ Empyrean series and is followed by Iron Flame and Onyx Storm, with books 4 and 5 waiting to be published. After the third book was released, the romantic fantasy novel became a viral success among TikTok’s BookTok community. Fourth Wing was even named International Book of the Year 2024 at the TikTok Book awards, has reached No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list, and also landed on Amazon’s bestseller list. Its latest achievement is being picked up by Prime Video for a TV adaptation.
Yarros’ fantasy book series is significantly centered around magic and mystical creatures, particularly dragons, which, looking at the success of the long-running fantasy series Game of Thrones, are loved by many (even Blake Lively). The story focuses on Violet Sorrengail, a young, fragile woman whose goal is to become a fierce dragon rider and must try not to be killed by a dangerous leader, Xaden Riorson, at Basgiath War College. The high fantasy novels explore magical settings, but they also explore themes such as power, passion, romance, and desire. Let’s take a look at everything we know about the Fourth Wing adaptation.
‘Fourth Wing’ Book-to-Series Adaptation
Considering that Netflix loves to cancel the best fantasy series (or pretty much any widely loved series) out of nowhere, it’s a good thing that Fourth Wing is in development for Prime Video. Amazon MGM and Outlier Society by Michael B. Jordan are the producers behind the fantasy adaptation, while Yarros, the author of the dystopian fantasy series, is on board as a co-producer. The showrunner is none other than Anne With an E’s Moira Walley-Beckett, and seeing that the series based on Lucy Maud Montgomery’s 1908 novel, Anne of Green Gables, was outstanding, nothing is standing in the way of turning Yarros’ literary masterpiece into a thrilling TV series.
Since Fourth Wing became a BookTok favorite and viral phenomenon with billions of views on TikTok, the series following Violet Sorrengail might turn out to be Prime Video’s biggest success yet. Maybe the fact that there is a potential reference to the streaming platform’s high fantasy series The Wheel of Time is a sign of luck. Yarros’ novels mention the goddess of love, Loial, which could be a little Easter egg, referring to The Wheel of Time’s very important Ogier, Loial. Even though this is just a minor connection between two beloved fantasy novel series, there is hope that Fourth Wing will be able to use the success of the Prime Video series as a stepping stone. Since Amazon’s book-to-series adaptation is still in the early stages of production, as filming hasn’t even begun yet, there is no update regarding a potential release window.
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The Potential Cast of ‘Fourth Wing’
Fans of the Empyrean novel series have a rough idea of which actors are needed to create one of the best fantasy series ever. There is a vast amount of Fourth Wing fan art and discussions regarding the relationship between Violet and Xaden circulating on Reddit, and exciting theories spreading on BookTok and other social media platforms. Considering that the novel series is also at the center of numerous TikTok trends and fans are proudly posing in Fourth Wing merchandise, it doesn’t come as a surprise that fan casts for Fourth Wing are trending as well. The fans’ immense engagement and passion for the Empyrean series signify huge pressure regarding the cast of the upcoming Prime Video series, and they have their ideas about who should join the cast for the book-to-series adaptation.
The role of Violet Sorrengail is by far the most important one and is directly followed by the role of Xaden Riorson. Many fans would love to see Mackenzie Foy portray the fierce dragon rider. You might know Foy from her memorable role as Bella and Edward’s daughter, Renesmee, in the iconic Twilight movies, or as Clara from Disney’s The Nutcracker and the Four Realms. The young actress has a similar stature to Violet, but there is no doubt that she can also deliver the power of a soldier. Danielle Rose Russell from The Originals would also be a great fit, as her fair complexion and her darker hair perfectly resemble the description of Violet.
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For some odd reason, many fans of the dark fantasy novels picture The Hunger Games actor Alexander Ludwig as Xaden. This, however, is fairly unlikely, as the author of Fourth Wing has stated that she doesn’t want Xaden to be played by a white actor since it’s not what she envisioned. Hence, Josh Heuston from Heartbreak High and HBO’s Dune: Prophecy is a hot candidate, and he also hinted that he would love to take on the role.
As for the other potential actors in the adult fantasy with a steamy romance, there might be The 100’s Tati Gabrielle as Rhiannon Matthias; Oscar-winning Olivia Colman from Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Favourite as General Lilith Sorrengail; Chicago Fire’s Jocelyn Hudson as Mira Sorrengail; and Dacre Montgomery from Stranger Things as Dain Aetos. Only time will tell which actors will be in the Fourth Wing adaptation, but the fans are on to something.
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