'Fourth Wing' Gets Purple and Red: Esther McGregor and Emilio Sacraia Lead Video Series

Lightning strikes as Prime Video finds its main stars for the upcoming television series The Fourth Wing, a small-screen adaptation of Rebecca Yaros' bestselling novel of the same name, from showrunner and EP Meredith Averill. Esther McGregor (We Were Liars, Little Girl) as Violet Sorengil and Emilio Sakraya (The Ones About Dying, Warrior […]

Sources close to the film tell Deadline that Esther McGregor ( We Were Liars, Little Girl ) has been cast as Violet Sorengil, and Emilio Sakraia ( Those About to Die , Warrior Nun ) will portray Xaden Riorson. Violet and Bitten in the books are enemies turned lovers.

In the fantasy adventure, Violet is forced by her mother into the brutal world of the Basgiat War College. He joins hundreds of candidates trying to become Navarre's elite: the Dragon Riders. Watch on Deadline

In the book, 20-year-old Violet is well on her way to becoming a scribe (history) and follows her father Asher when her mother, General Lilith Sorengil, forces her to change course and ride a dragon.

Away from the safety of the archives where Navarre's scribes record and keep the records, Violet steps onto the parapet to bond with the dragon and take on a very dangerous and very deadly job. There, he encounters Xaden Riorson, a scion of a rebel sect of people and a mysterious and brooding student with shadowy powers. The only rule of War College is "Graduate or Die". Riders are as good as dead without their dragons, and vice versa, which stresses the bond between man and beast formed on the day of threshing.

Amazon Studios MGM acquired the rights to the Empyrean book series for television development in 2023, but didn't receive those rights until May of this year, when the broadcaster officially greenlit the series. Averill officially joined the series as showrunner and executive producer in September 2025. Green Light included Lisa Joy as the director of the premiere and executive producer of the series.

This plan, if successful, is to adapt the rest of the novels in several chapters. The Empyrean series consists of five books, with The Fourth Wing (2023), Iron Flame (2023), and Onyx Storm (2025) as the first three titles. Yaros is currently working on an as yet untitled fourth novel, with a fifth to follow. He recently published a companion book of 13 short stories written from the perspective of dragon riders focusing on when they met their dragons, titled Threshing Day. It's still unclear if the new book will be included in the series, but it would make sense to show some or all of the moments.

The series comes from Outlier Society's Michael B. Jordan, Jonathan Nolan and Joy's Kilter Films and Premeditated Productions. Jordan and Elizabeth Raposo executive produce through Outlier Society. Nolan, Joy and Athena Wickham via Kilter Films. Liz Pelletier and Sherryl Clark via Premeditated Productions.

McGregor is currently filming Life Is Strange for Prime Video, which is based on the video game. He recently starred in a TV adaptation of a best-selling novel. Lockhart, We Were Liars, for Prime Video. Her film credits include Babygirl and Pedro Almodóvar's The Room Next Door. He previously played Bleeding Love with his father, Ewan McGregor, and sister, Clara McGregor, at the SXSW world premiere in 2023. On the television side, he also appeared in the Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Sakraya's schedule is also booked and busy, as she recently wrapped up her work starring in the upcoming third season of the hit Netflix series One Piece. In a recurring role, he will portray the character of Kuza, the leader of the rebel army. Among fans of The Fourth Wing, Sakraya was the top choice for the role of Gadden Riverson. His previous credits include The Peacock of Those Who Die, Mixed Martial Arts Sixty Minutes, the Netflix series Tribes of Europe, and The Warrior Nun, also for the broadcaster.

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