Prime Video’s Fourth Wing Series Takes Flight

It’s the horned-up series about a forever war with dragons that everyone is talking about. No, not that one. Prime Video has found its leads for Fourth Wing, based on the Empyrean series of romantasy books by Rebecca Yarros. According to Deadline, Esther McGregor (Babygirl, being Ewan McGregor’s daughter) will play reluctant dragonrider Violet Sorrengail while Emilio Sakraya (Warrior Nun) will play the mysterious and rebellious Xaden Riorson.

For the non-dragonborn in the audience, Yarros could be considered part of BookTok’s Mount Rushmore, alongside Colleen Hoover, Rachel Reid and Sarah J. Maas. Her Empyrean series has sold millions of copies. Its first book, Fourth Wing, follows Violet as she’s forced into dragon riding school by her mother. The school has a “graduate or die” ethos, and Xaden at first seems intent on making sure Violet gets the “or die” ending. But, this being an enemies-to-lovers story, those initial appearances are misleading. Yarros, who has Ehlers–Danlos syndrome, wrote Violet to be a hero with a chronic illness.

Amazon MGM Studios bought the rights to the Empyrean books in 2023. Michael B. Jordan, Jonathan Nolan, and Lisa Joy are all signed on as producers, while Meredith Averill (Locke & Key) is serving as show runner. The plan is to adapt the rest of the series in subsequent seasons, à la AMC’s Vampire Chronicles.