Fourth Wing Finds Its Violet and Xaden
Prime Video's Fourth Wing series adaptation has found its two leads. Reported by Deadline, Variety, and TheWrap on Thursday (10/15/2026), Esther McGregor will star as Violet Sorrengail, while Emilio Sakraya will star as Xaden Riorson. Amazon has declined to comment on the reports.
The casting news immediately set fan communities abuzz, given that Fourth Wing is one of the bestselling romantasy novels born from the BookTok phenomenon. Emilio Sakraya's name even trended in US searches following the announcement.
Who Are Esther McGregor and Emilio Sakraya
Esther McGregor is the daughter of actor Ewan McGregor whose breakout came through Prime Video's We Were Liars adaptation. Her film credits include Babygirl, Pedro Almodovar's The Room Next Door, and the Obi-Wan Kenobi series.
Emilio Sakraya is a German actor and singer with credits across German and US television and film, including Rhinegold, Warrior Nun, Tribes of Europa, and Those About to Die. He has also completed filming as Koza in the third season of One Piece.
About the Fourth Wing Novels
Fourth Wing is the first book in Rebecca Yarros' The Empyrean series, planned for five books. It follows Violet Sorrengail, a 20-year-old forced by her mother, a general, to enter the brutal Basgiath War College and compete to become a dragon rider, the elite of the kingdom of Navarre.
There, one rule applies: graduate or die. Violet meets Xaden Riorson, a mysterious shadow-wielding cadet she was warned to stay away from, and their relationship grows from enemies into the central romance. The third book, Onyx Storm (2025), reportedly sold 2.7 million copies in its first week.
A Heavyweight Production Team
The series is led by showrunner and executive producer Meredith Averill, known for The Haunting of Hill House. Michael B. Jordan executive-produces through Outlier Society, while Westworld showrunner Lisa Joy directs the pilot and also executive-produces.
Amazon MGM Studios acquired the rights to the Empyrean series in 2023, and the project received its official series order from Prime Video in May 2026. A premiere date has not yet been announced.
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