Massive Bestseller ‘Fourth Wing’ TV Adaptation Gets Closer to Reality: Everything to Know
Fans of dragons (and love triangles), your new TV obsession just got closer to reality. On July 21, Amazon announced that “Anne with an E” creator Moira Walley-Beckett would serve as the showrunner of its upcoming “Fourth Wing” TV adaptation.
The TV adaptation of the book world‘s biggest hit of the last few years (218,000+ Amazon reviews and counting) is sure to be expensive — with a magical universe full of plenty of dragons to create. But this isn’t exactly a “Game of Thrones” ripoff, though everyone involved would of course love those fans to check it out.
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“Fourth Wing” is the first book in Rebecca Yarros’ “Empyrean” series, of which two of a planned five installments have been released so far. The first dropped in May 2023, and the second, “Iron Flame,” in November 2023. The adaptation rights to “Fourth Wing” were snapped up by Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society, which is behind the planned Prime Video series.
Get ready with all the details about the TV version of “Fourth Wing,” below.
What is “Fourth Wing” about?
“Fourth Wing” follows 20-year-old Violet Sorrengail, who must attend the brutal Basgiath War College, where the only rule is “survive or die.” Amongst many volunteers and conscripts, these college-aged individuals engage in brutal, bloody training that often ends in death. Survive, and they will have the opportunity to be paired via magical bond with a dragon, and become defenders of their homeland.
Violet’s mother is a powerful, mysterious general in their kingdom of Navarre, and among the recruits, Violet quickly makes both friends and enemies. Violet deals with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), which author Yarros also has. Each successful recruit also gets a “signet power,” a unique-to-them special skill, like mind-reading.
Would you believe Violet quickly realizes there are also darker forces afoot?
Describe “Fourth Wing” to me only referencing other popular books adaptations.
At its most basic, it’s “Harry Potter” meets “Hunger Games” meets But This Time They Have Sex. If you’ve heard the term “romantasy” recently, this is that to a tee.
Is there a brooding, shifty fellow dragon rider in this that will pave way for a clear enemies-to-lovers situation?
Yes. His name is Xaden, and his father was executed by Violet’s mother for leading a rebellion five years ago. Tricky!
Will Xaden be played by Michael B. Jordan?
Fans of the books definitely got excited when Jordan’s production company got involved. But for now, Jordan seems set to only produce. (No casting announcements have been made at this point, however, so anything could change.)
So these books are… popular?
Extremely. In addition to its dedicated fanbase, the books are also pretty well-reviewed, particularly for the genre, and alongside Sarah J. Mass’ “A Court of Thorns and Roses” books, have proven to be one of the biggest successes of BookTok so far. Prime Video clearly hopes the buzz around the source material will create a hit for the streamer, though its “Lord of the Rings” show “Rings of Power” demonstrates that isn’t always the case.
What are the other books in the “Empryean” series?
Glad you asked. The “Fourth Wing” sequel, “Iron Flame,” continues the tale, and there are three more yet-to-be-released installments. The third one, “Onyx Storm,” is set to drop in January 2025.
The later books more heavily deal with a centuries-long war between two kingdoms, Navarre (which has the aforementioned dragons) and Poromiel (gryphons), as well as a power-hungry enemy called venin — people whose souls have been corrupted by stealing magic. We’ll not mention any spoilers here, but both books are incredibly plot-heavy.
Author Yarros noted that the rest of the tale will be slower coming, so fans may be in for another George R.R. Martin-esque situation where the TV show outpaces the source material.
What does Yarros think of the TV adaptation?
The author told Variety that the Amazon adaptation deal was actually in place even before “Fourth Wing” hit shelves. “Outlier is such a great production company and they have a wonderful diversity and inclusion rider, one of the first companies to have them, which is why I was so joyful, because I knew they would respect the diversity of cast,” she said.
Yarros will be an executive producer on the project. “All I can say is that when I met with them in LA, they did ask if I wanted to come sit in the writers room. And I would never get in somebody’s way, but I just want to be like, hey, that plot point might mess with a point in Book Four, just a heads-up, just in case you want to do that!”
When will “Fourth Wing” be available to watch?
It’s absolutely early stages right now, though the recent addition of “Breaking Bad” writer Walley-Beckett as showrunner definitely makes the project feel more real. Here’s hoping for 2026!
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