Esther McGregor and Emilio Sakraya are reportedly heading to Basgiath War College. But can Prime Video bring one of romantasy’s most beloved relationships to life?
By AURA | Books & Culture | October 16, 2026
Well, riders. It looks like we’re finally getting somewhere.
After years of speculation, endless fancasting, and enough TikTok theories to fill the Archives at Basgiath, the upcoming Fourth Wing television adaptation has reportedly found its Violet Sorrengail and Xaden Riorson.
According to Deadline’s October 15 report, Esther McGregor is set to portray Violet, while German actor Emilio Sakraya will step into the role of Xaden in Prime Video’s adaptation of Rebecca Yarros’ bestselling Empyrean series.
And just like that, the characters we’ve spent years imagining suddenly have faces. Naturally, I have thoughts.
Meet Our New Violet and Xaden
Esther McGregor is known to book-adaptation fans for playing Mirren Sinclair in We Were Liars. Her credits also include Babygirl, The Room Next Door, and Obi-Wan Kenobi. View an editorial portrait of Esther McGregor (photo by Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images; licensing required for reuse).
Emilio Sakraya has appeared in Warrior Nun, Those About to Die, and Sixty Minutes.
It’s worth noting that although major entertainment publications have reported the casting, Amazon had not publicly confirmed it at the time of those reports.
The Trouble With Casting Characters We’ve Already Fallen in Love With
Here’s the thing about adapting a beloved book series: readers have already directed the movie in their heads. We know what Violet looks like when she’s calculating her next move. We know the kind of presence Xaden commands when he enters a room. We have imagined their voices, expressions, chemistry, and probably several scenes more times than we’d care to admit.
Some of us have been living in Navarre since 2023. That’s a lot of emotional investment to compete with.
But I think we need to give these actors the opportunity to surprise us. A perfectly cast character isn’t necessarily the actor who looks most like a piece of fan art. It’s the person who can make us forget we’re watching an actor at all.
Violet Deserves More Than the Fragile-Girl Treatment
One of the things I love about Violet is that her strength has never depended on pretending she isn’t vulnerable. She’s intelligent, observant, stubborn, and resourceful. She enters a world that repeatedly underestimates her and survives by understanding that strength doesn’t always look the way people expect it to.
Her physical limitations are essential to her story. I hope the adaptation understands how important that representation is. Violet isn’t compelling because she eventually becomes physically invincible. She’s compelling because she navigates a dangerous world without abandoning who she is.
And Then There’s Xaden Riorson
Oh, Xaden. There are fictional men, and then there are fictional men who inspire entire corners of the internet to develop very specific expectations. Xaden is firmly in the second category.
He’s powerful, intimidating, guarded, and complicated. But reducing him to a handsome man who occasionally looks mysterious would be a spectacular misunderstanding of his character. His responsibilities, history, loyalties, and choices are what give him depth.
I’m more interested in seeing how Sakraya commands a scene than how closely he resembles someone’s Pinterest board. Although, let’s be fair, the Pinterest boards aren’t going anywhere.
Can Prime Video Actually Pull This Off?
Casting is only the beginning. Basgiath War College needs to feel imposing, dangerous, and lived-in. The Riders Quadrant should make us understand why surviving the first year is an achievement. The parapet needs to be terrifying. The dragons need to feel like intelligent, ancient beings with personalities of their own.
And Tairn? Please. I need that dragon to have the attitude he deserves.
The production has ambitious creative talent attached, but fantasy television is notoriously difficult to execute. It must balance world-building, military training, political tension, dragon battles, and a central romance while remaining accessible to viewers who have never opened the book. No pressure, right?
Can Any Adaptation Satisfy BookTok?
Fourth Wing isn’t simply another fantasy novel getting a television deal. It’s part of a larger cultural moment. These stories have become communities. We’ve attended themed events, joined book clubs, collected special editions, debated theories, and formed friendships over fictional characters.
So the stakes feel personal. Readers aren’t simply evaluating actors. They’re wondering whether the version of the story they love will survive the transition to television. But adaptations have never been exact replicas. Sometimes they disappoint us. Sometimes they introduce an entirely new way of appreciating a story.
So, Am I Excited?
Absolutely. Am I cautiously optimistic? Also yes.
I don’t need Esther McGregor and Emilio Sakraya to match every detail I’ve imagined. I need them to understand the characters they’re playing. I need Violet’s intelligence and determination. I need Xaden’s complexity. I need their relationship to develop with the tension and emotional weight that made readers invest in it.
And I need someone in that production room to understand that the dragons are not background decoration.
No premiere date has been announced as of October 16, 2026. But after years of wondering whether we’d see Basgiath come to life, this feels like a significant step forward.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some fancasting opinions to revisit.
Your turn, riders: Are you happy with the reported casting of Violet and Xaden, or did you have someone completely different in mind? Which character are you most anxious to see cast next?
Spoiler-free discussion welcome. Please mark any Empyrean series spoilers in the comments.
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