The 'Fourth Wing' TV Adaptation Everything We Know and All Our Guesses & Dream Castings

I think we can all agree that 'Fourth Wing' is going to be a show that even non-readers watch, but for those of us who are fans of the famous Emperyean Series, this is next-level excitement.

What is 'Fourth Wing'?

If you aren't in "the know", 'Fourth Wing' is book one of a five-book series, following the lead female Violet Sorrengail as she navigates Basgiath War College. This story is full of good versus evil, major world-building, political intrigue, military strategies, and attractive men and women, oh, and we cannot forget to add in the magic and dragons. This book series is perfect for anyone who is a fan of Game of Thrones, Divergent, and The Hunger Games. The series is known as The Emperyean and currently has 'Fourth Wing', 'Iron Flame', and 'Onyx Storm' released. 'Fourth Wing' was announced in October of 2023 that it would be adapted into a TV series by Amazon MGM with Michael B. Jordan to produce, Moira Walley-Beckett (Anne with an E) as showrunner, Elizabeth Raposo (Creed III) as executive producer, Stefano Agosto (The Greatest) as executive producer, as well as both Rebecca Yarros (author of The Emperyean series) and Liz Pelletier (publisher & CEO of Entagled & Red Tower Publishing) as executive producers.

Who are the characters that are necessary to bring this story to life?

When it comes to casting, I think that both readers and the author, Rebecca Yarros, will be picky about the looks of Violet Sorrengail, the lead female, and Xaden Riorson, the lead male and infamous Wingleader. Rebecca recently did an interview and feature with Elle Magazine, where she said, the only thing she was adamant on was that Xaden is POC. Now, the casting for both of these characters could be what would make or break this show for readers.

With the rise of AI Art, the image that many readers and fans of the series have been created around this. The question is, will fans be upset with the castings?

Now, casting for the show has yet to be announced, but in recent weeks fans have noticed what could be some casting options. The comment sections of these posts have been very entertaining. Rebecca Yarros recently said she never fully described how she imagines Xaden in her head to not limit how readers see him, only stating, "Xaden is not white" in multiple interviews.

For readers who would like to learn more about how AI affects real artists, please see an interview Romantasy Illustrated included in Volume 1.

So, who are some of the big rumored castings?

Note: none of these castings have been confirmed

Now, around the release of Onyx Storm, a rumor was started that actor Josh Heuston might just be our Wingleader. What made readers jump to this conclusion? Josh recently added the dragon emoji into his bio and followed Rebecca Yarros on Instagram, now the icing on the cake is pictures of him at the beach reading Fourth Wing. Fans immediately came to the conclusion that Josh would be Xaden, and social media had mixed reviews, some saying that they loved the casting and others noting that he isn't "big enough" or "edgy" how Xaden is described. I think what we can all agree is that he is definitely fitting the look and giving off "Dark Shadow Daddy Vibes" to fit the profile of the Fourth Wing Cast.

Well, another big rumor swirling around is regarding actor Emilio Sakraya, who went a step further than Josh and made a post on his feed with only the dragon emoji as the caption. Now Emilio's post has generated over 49K likes, 760 comments (including our own!), and 278 shares. Some of the top comments include "Is this our wing leader?????" (@btchykryssy), "The way booktok is sleuthing we are so here for it! This HAS to be our Wingleader shadow daddy." (@thejessicansmithco), and a personal favorite "Someone hurry and give this man the rebellion relic" (@small_a91). Now, again going further than Josh, Emilio and his trainer, who is a collaborator on the post, are both following Rebecca Yarros and Josh Heuston. To add icing to the cake, Emilio is a big man, he is 6 feet tall and has a background in martial arts, and let's not forget to mention the beautiful accent he has. With further sleuthing, we found that he isn't just passionate about karate and kung-fu but has won a German Championship in 2010, so basically, he is already the king of the mats. In a random YouTube video we found, he said, "I have always been a big martial arts fan and wanted to do Jackie Chan stuff." And yes, after finding videos and content of his fighting, especially in Netflix's 60 Minutes, he most definitely can be the Wingleader. For those concerned about his ethnicity, Emilio is a German actor, with his mother being Moroccan and his father being Serbian. Now, this is all speculation, but it would be a great casting decision.

The only other character we have seen a few rumors about is Violet Sorrengail, who is rumored to be portrayed by Mackenzie Foy (Renesmee Cullen, Twilight Series). Mackenzie has admitted to reading the books, posted a picture on social media of Onyx Storm, and, yes, also follows Rebecca Yarros. Her two most recent posts feature her in a bomber jacket with no captions and are filled with comments about her being Violet Sorrengail. With comments like, "I know exactly who and what you are, Violet Sorrengail" (@andy_lorey), "Hello, Silver one" (@shanyassnapp), "Violet Sorrengail, it's that you?" (@lulagauna) and so many more. In my opinion, Mackenzie is exactly how I read Violet, and when looking at fan art, she looks to have inspired a lot of artists. She has a smaller and slender frame, standing at 5'3", with a pale skin tone and dainty features. Mackenzie is also an avid horse rider, which sets her up to be great at riding dragons, with the form already down.

Who do fans want to see?

Wow, when searching social media and the internet to see ideas for who readers and fans want to see the cast, there is very little overlap. Rebecca did leave a lot of the characters open to the reader's imagination for how they saw them, which is smart, as when it comes to casting there shouldn't be too much disappointment. It is important to note that the characters of Violet Sorrengail and Xaden Riorson will be the characters that make and define this adaptation, they are the characters. They both play pivotal roles in the storyline, have epic chemistry, are extremely powerful, and have the most fierce dragons. The characters selected for these roles will bring the picture fully into focus for readers.

Violet Sorrengail Fan Castings:

Description: hair is brown with silver ends, hazel and pale blue eyes, small 5'0"-5'2"

Mackenzie Foy (Breaking Dawn), 24, 5'3"

Danielle Rose Russell (The Originals and Legacies), 25, 5'3"

Josephine Langford (After), 27, 5'6"

Freya Allan (The Witcher), 23, 5'5"

India Eisley (Underworld: Awakening), 31, 5'3"

Sadie Sink (Stranger Things), 22, 5'3"

Xaden Riorson Fan Castings:

Description: tawny skin, black hair, gold-flecked onyx eyes, 6'4"

Emilio Sakraya (60 Minutes), 28, 6'0"

Josh Heuston (Dune: Prophecy), 28, 5'11

Taylor Zakhar Perez (The Kissing Booth), 33, 6'0"

Matthew Daddario (Shadowhunter's), 37, 6'3"

Dain Aetos Fan Castings:

Description: brown hair, brown eyes

Hero Fiennes-Tiffin (After), 27, 6'2"

Freddie Thorp (Fate: The Winx Saga), 30, 5'11"

Brenton Thwaites (The Giver), 35, 6'0"

Gregg Sulkin (Wizards of Waverly Place), 32, 5'11"

Rhiannon Matthias Fan Castings:

Description: dark skin, dark brown hair, brown eyes

Ella Balinska (Charle's Angels), 28, 5'11"

Halle Bailey (The Little Mermaid), 24, 5'2"

Tati Gabrielle (The 100), 29, 5'7"

Amandla Stenberg (The Hunger Games), 26, 5'3"

Mira Sorrengail Fan Castings:

Description: golden brown hair and brown eyes, 26, tall

Adelaide Kane (Reign), 34, 5'4"

Daisy Ridley (Star Wars: The Force Awakens), 32, 5'7"

Phoebe Tonkin (The Originals), 35, 5'8"

General Lilth Sorrengail Fan Castings:

Description: short brown hair

Lena Headey (Game of Thrones), 51, 5'5"

Charlize Theron (Mad Max: Fury Road), 49, 5'10"

Catherina Zeta-Jones (The Mask of Zorro), 55, 5'7"

Bodhi Durran Fan Castings:

Description: black hair, brown eyes

Noah Centineo (To All the Boys I've Loved Before), 28, 6'1"

Josh Heuston (above also for Xaden!), (Dune: The Prophecy), 28, 5'11"

Thomas Weatherall (Heartbreak High), 24, 5'8"

Jan Luis Castellanos (Tall Girl 2), 29, 5'11"

Ridoc Gamlyn Fan Castings:

Description: brown hair

Joe Keery (Stranger Things), 32, 5'10"

Dylan O'Brien (Teen Wolf), 33, 5'10"

Matt Rife (Trapped Inn), 29, 6'0"

Camerion Monaghan (Shameless), 31, 6'0"

Chase Stokes (The Outer Banks), 32, 6'1"

Garrick Tavis Fan Castings:

Description: dark hair and hazel eyes

Brant Daugherty (Fifty Shades of Grey), 39, 6'1"

Wolfgang Novogratz (Sierra Burgess is a Loser), 27, 6'3"

Thomas Doherty (Descendants), 29, 6'0"

Sawyer Henrick Fan Castings:

Description: brown hair

Jake Austin Walker (National Treasure: Edge of History), 27, 6'0"

Louis Hofmann (All the Light We Cannot See), 27, 5'7"

Froy Gutierrez (Cruel Summer), 26, 5'10"

Rudy Pankow (The Outer Banks), 26, 6'0"

Liam Mairi Fan Castings:

Description: light blond hair, blue eyes

Matthew Nozska (Perfect Addiction), 32, 6'2"

Samuel Dezzani (American Born Chienes), 23, 6'0"

Imogen Cardulo Fan Castings:

Description: short pink hair is partially shaved, green eyes

Natalie Dormer (Game of Thrones), 42, 5'6"

Milly Alcock (House of the Dragon), 24, 5'5"

Florence Pugh (Black Widow), 29, 5'4"

Emma Mackey (Sex Education), 29, 5'9"

Keep in mind, these are all just fan casted, and nowhere near the countless actors and actresses that many imagine for characters. My personal opinion and guess is that Amazon and the 'Fourth Wing' casting team are going to select lesser-known celebrities and those who are younger. Most of the cast will be students, with the exceptions to the main professors and dragons. I could see the team choosing actors and actresses who utilize this role as a 'break out' opportunity and who have acted in smaller movies and adaptations. When it comes to the dragons, I am beyond excited for these. Tairn has to give a stern grandpa, while Sagyel gives a mean mother hen, and then of course Andarna is childlike, then very sassy once she ages.

What do fans want to see from the environment?

Aside from the casting, the environment and world of Navaree is going to be exciting to see come to life. Shows like Game of Thrones and House of the Dragons have shown that the advancement of CGI can make fantasy feel incredibly real. Basgiath, the dragons, wyverns, gauntlet, parapet and so many other elements have the potential to be brought to life in a way that showcases Romantasy is Real. I hope to see a dark and gothic stone castle for the set of Basgiath. I am excited to see riders on the backs of dragons and finally see how Rebecca meant for fighting to take place while in mid-air with wyverns who are sometimes even larger than the dragons.

What do we hope to see from the storyline?

I want to see the adaptation of the TV show follow the book, but also add to the story. The majority of the series is told from Violet's point of view, with a few chapters from Xaden, Imogen, and Rhiannon, but when it comes to the show I want more. For me, Ridoc carried Onyx Storm on his back with his growth and development, seeing his journey, getting to know the other dragon's commentary and Threshing moments, and seeing other characters 'side lives and activities that are brushed over in the books would add to the story for me. These books are long and Rebecca did a great job building them out, but there are still details that we don't find in the books. Rebecca recently did an interview where she said, "Dain is the only one who would have a headboard," and then "Ridocs' mattress would be on the floor." There are so many details that just don't make it into the book, and again the commentary between all the dragons and riders matters most to me.

What is the current timeline for more books and the adaptation?

There have been no official statements from either Rebecca Yarros or Amazon on future books or the TV adaptation. However, it is estimated that we won't get book four until mid-to-late 2026, due to the deadlines and health detriments that Onyx Storm took on Rebecca. As for the adaptation, there have not been any casting, filming schedules, or release deadlines, but the producers, showrunners, and executive producers have been announced. This project seems to be moving quickly, riding the hype that fans have pushed out with the series. As we said, no confirmations, but a lot of casting rumors and subtle hints as to what might be coming with the show.

Whoever Amazon and the 'Fourth Wing' team casts, we are excited to follow this storyline. Comment below who you would want to see in this adaptation, what you are excited about, and what matters most to you about this show.