Who Will Play Violet and Xaden? Breaking Down the 'Fourth Wing' Casting Rumours

Fourth Wing is the first novel in Rebecca Yarros' bestselling fantasy romance novel series, The Empyrean. Following its release in 2023, the book quickly became a sensation on BookTok, TikTok's reading community, and went on to top The New York Times bestseller list.

The story follows 20-year-old Violet Sorrengail as she strives to become a dragon rider. Following the success of the book series, Amazon has ordered a series adaptation, with Oscar winner Michael B. Jordan serving as executive producer through his production company, Outlier Society.

While no cast members have been announced, fans have been speculating about who could play Violet and Xaden in the highly anticipated series.

Who Will Play Xaden Riorson in Amazon's Fourth Wing?

Fans have been particularly vocal about who should play Xaden, the most powerful wingleader in the Riders Quadrant and Violet's love interest. Several actors, including German actor Emilio Sakraya and Red, White & Royal Blue star Taylor Zakhar Perez, have been linked to the character through fan casting discussions.

However, the most popular fan pick appears to be Off Campus and Dune: Prophecy star Josh Heuston. The 29-year-old Australian actor is also a fan of the books, which has only fueled speculation.

Heuston sparked casting rumours when he added a dragon emoji on his Instagram bio, and speculation intensified when fans spotted him reading Onyx Storm, the third book in the series.

Since then, readers have closely followed the actor's social media activity and have caught some Fourth Wing-related clues. Among them was an Instagram story showing him sparring with a trainer, with the word 'Violence' (Xaden's nickname for Violet in the books) appearing in the corner.

Fans have also noted that Heuston follows Yarros and Jordan on Instagram. With Off Campus now streaming on Prime Video, discussion surrounding his possible casting has continued to grow.

Heuston recently told People, 'The books are amazing, and I love fantasy and everything involved in that genre so who knows?' He then told Brit + Co, 'I've said it before, we'll leave it up to the scribes, I suppose, or the writers, however you wanna say that.'

When asked if he's interested in diving into romantasy, Heuston told CinemaBlend he is 'open to doing things in general.'

Who Will Play Violet Sorrengail?

Fans have also suggested several actresses for the role of Violet, including Bridgerton star Hannah Dodd and The Witcher actress Freya Allan. One of the most popular names in fan casting discussions, however, is Mackenzie Foy, who is best known for playing Renesmee Cullen in The Twilight Saga.

Speculation surrounding Foy intensified after she shared a photo of Onyx Storm on her Instagram stories and followed Yarros on social media. Foy has also been seen training in several videos, further fueling casting speculation.

'It's got magic, it's got dragons — it's like, what's not to love? I'm obsessed with it. The fact that there are people who want me to play Violet, that they would even think of me or want me for that, is really flattering,' Foy told Teen Vogue.

Meanwhile, Obsession star Inde Navarrette has publicly expressed interest in the role.

'If I had to pick a specific role that I've secretly been keeping my eye on, it would be Violet Sorrengail. I am a huge Fourth Wing fan and I heard they were making it into a series,' she said.

Michael B. Jordan Shares Updates on 'Fourth Wing'

There is no confirmed cast yet for the upcoming series, but Jordan said there are 'no obvious choices' and the show won't be 'cheesy.'

'When it's done the right way, I think you can have a nice balance where casting won't be distracting,' Jordan told the BBC.

'It allows people to, like, fall in love with the characters that they have imagined in their head without any baggage, with projecting their own feelings on certain casts. So just know, it's nothing cheesy coming out. It ain't no obvious choices. I think it's going to be something that feels honest,' he added.

There is also no release date for the series yet. In January, Jordan said the project was still in the early stages of development.

'We are making sure that this is going to be a exciting show that delivers on all of the things the fans want and some of the things that they won't be expecting either,' he told Deadline.

'But trust me, I know how beloved this franchise IP is and we're diligently... We're in the lab, we're cooking up. We got it. It's coming. It's early stages, but I feel how much people care about this one. It's not lost on us,' he added.