‘Fourth Wing’ Finds Its Violet and Xaden: Esther McGregor and Emilio Sakraya Headline Prime Video’s Dragon Rider Series
Few book adaptations have been as eagerly awaited as ‘Fourth Wing.‘ Rebecca Yarros’ romantasy novel went viral on BookTok after its 2023 release, and it has since become a global publishing phenomenon. Ever since Amazon MGM Studios snapped up the rights, readers have been fan-casting the 2 characters at the heart of the story.
The road to the screen has been bumpy. Development began at Prime Video in October 2023, and the original showrunner, Moira Walley-Beckett, left the project in 2025. Meredith Averill took over in September 2025, and the series was officially ordered in May at Amazon’s upfront presentation, with Michael B. Jordan on stage alongside Yarros and pilot director Lisa Joy.
Now the wait for the leads is over. According to Deadline, Esther McGregor has been cast as Violet Sorrengail, and Emilio Sakraya will play Xaden Riorson, as sources close to production told Deadline. Variety has also learned of the casting, and Amazon declined to comment.
McGregor is best known for playing Mirren in the Prime Video series ‘We Were Liars’ and for appearing in the 2024 film ‘Babygirl.’ The 24-year-old is the daughter of actor Ewan McGregor, and she got her start in modeling before transitioning to acting. Her screen debut came with a cameo in her father’s series ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi.’
Her schedule is already full. She is filming Prime Video’s ‘Life Is Strange,’ and ‘We Were Liars’ is in production for its second season. Violet is the central figure of the story, a 20-year-old who planned a quiet life as a Scribe until her mother, a military general, forced her into the brutal Basgiath War College.
Sakraya is a German actor and former child star who also works as a musician under the name Emilio. His credits include ‘Those About to Die,’ ‘Warrior Nun,’ ‘Rhinegold’ and ‘Tribes of Europa.’ He recently completed work on the third season of Netflix’s ‘One Piece,’ where he plays Koza, the leader of the rebel army.
Xaden is the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant. He is a marked one, the son of parents involved in the first rebellion, and he can wield shadows. Fans on TikTok may recognize Sakraya’s name, since he was a top choice for the role among the ‘Fourth Wing’ community.
The heart of the story is the relationship between Violet and Xaden, who start out as enemies and gradually become much more entangled. In a college where most cadets would happily see Violet fail, Xaden begins as one of her most dangerous rivals. That slow-burn dynamic is a big part of why the books became such a sensation.
It also raises the stakes for the casting. Readers have intense expectations for how the chemistry will translate to the screen, and the leads will carry much of the show. Lisa Joy, who co-created ‘Westworld,’ will direct the pilot, which should give the series a strong visual identity.
Reaction has been mixed but passionate. Many readers embraced Sakraya immediately, while some fans quickly weighed in on McGregor’s look as Violet, noting that hairstyles and styling can easily change for the show. Others joked that the news had sent the fandom into a group chat meltdown.
That kind of buzz is typical for a project of this size. Fan-casting debates have been raging for years, and any official announcement is bound to split opinion. The creative team will have plenty of time to win over skeptics before the show arrives.
Prime Video has not yet set a premiere date, and no production start has been announced. The production is led by Averill as showrunner, with executive producers including Jordan’s Outlier Society, Kilter Films’ Lisa Joy, Jonathan Nolan and Athena Wickham, and Yarros herself. The series has been adapting a story that now includes 3 published novels, ‘Fourth Wing,’ ‘Iron Flame’ and ‘Onyx Storm,’ with 5 planned in total.
Yarros announced in March that a fourth book is in the works, so the source material is still growing. With the leads in place, the next milestones will be the rest of the ensemble and the start of filming. For fans, that means the dragons are finally getting closer.
Who gets your vote?
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