Prime Video has reportedly cast Esther McGregor and Emilio Sakraya as leads Violet Sorrengail and Xaden Riorson in its upcoming television adaptation of Rebecca Yarros’s bestselling fantasy novel Fourth Wing, according to trade reports published on October 15, 2026.
Prime Video Finds Its Leads in Esther McGregor and Emilio Sakraya
The search for the faces of Navarre’s most dangerous military academy has reportedly come to an end. Sources close to production confirmed the casting decisions to industry trades, placing Esther McGregor in the role of protagonist Violet Sorrengail and Emilio Sakraya as the brooding wingleader Xaden Riorson. Amazon declined to comment on the reports.
The casting choices bring physical form to the central enemies-to-lovers dynamic of Rebecca Yarros’s steamy fantasy romance series. In the books, twenty-year-old Violet is a frail scholar forced by her mother, a military general, to abandon her quiet life among the scribes and enter Basgiath War College to become a dragon rider.
There, she must survive brutal military training where candidates face a stark ultimatum: graduate or die. Her survival is threatened further by Xaden, a powerful cadet with shadow-wielding powers whose family led a rebellion against the kingdom. With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success, while others would eliminate her simply for being her mother’s daughter.
The Creative Team Behind the Empyrean Adaptation
Amazon MGM Studios secured the screen rights to the Empyrean book series in 2023 before officially greenlighting the television project in May. Development has moved forward rapidly under a powerhouse roster of producers and creators.
Prime Video has found its leading stars for ‘Fourth Wing,’ the TV series adaptation of Rebecca Yarros’ bestselling novel.Esther McGregor has been cast as Violet Sorrengail, and Emilio Sakraya will bring to life the character of Xaden Riorson, sources close to production tell… pic.twitter.com/Mh1X8br9mQ
Meredith Averill serves as showrunner and executive producer, having taken over the position in September 2025. Author Rebecca Yarros expressed her enthusiasm for the hire on Instagram, writing, Welcome to the team, Meredith Averill!
and adding, Guys, I love everything this wonderful woman has worked on and I’m so excited to have her joining us,
according to E! News.
Lisa Joy is directing the pilot episode and executive producing alongside Jonathan Nolan and Athena Wickham for Kilter Films. Michael B. Jordan and Elizabeth Raposo executive produce through Outlier Society, alongside Liz Pelletier and Sherryl Clark of Premeditated Productions. Stefano Agosto holds the role of executive vice president of television at Outlier Society and serves as a co-executive producer.
Busy Schedules for the Newly Cast Stars
Both lead actors bring substantial television and film credits to the Prime Video fantasy adaptation. Her film credits include Babygirl, Pedro Almodóvar’s The Room Next Door, and the SXSW world premiere of Bleeding Love alongside her father Ewan McGregor and sister Clara McGregor. On television, she also appeared in the Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi.
He is also slated to appear as the rebel army leader Koza in the upcoming third season of Netflix’s live-action One Piece series.
Expanding the Universe While Fans Await Release Dates
While Prime Video has not yet announced an official release date for the series, the source material continues to expand.
Trade reports indicate that additional casting announcements and information regarding when filming will begin remain forthcoming from the production.