Image via HBO
Published Nov 1, 2026, 11:54 AM EST
Jessica is a journalist, editor, TCA critic, and multimedia storyteller with a decade of experience covering pop culture, film, TV, women's sports, lifestyle, and more. She earned her degree in journalism from the University of North Carolina-Wilmington with a focus in creative writing before moving to N.Y.C. and getting her start at The Huffington Post. (She still misses those nap pods.) She's covered multiple film festivals, recapped some of your favorite series, worked too many red carpets to count, and even yapped on a podcast or two. When she’s not interviewing your favorite showrunner or ranking Ryan Gosling's best roles for places like UPROXX, Teen Vogue, Marie Claire, The Daily Beast, and Cosmopolitan, she’s busy being a full-time hype woman to her cat, Finn. You can find her on Bluesky and, sadly, Twitter.
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Look out, Westeros, because Prime Video is coming to claim the title of TV’s next big, fire-breathing obsession with its upcoming adaptation of Rebecca Yarros’s viral fantasy series, Fourth Wing. The streamer’s planned entry into the romantasy landscape is an action-packed epic that pairs those ancient winged beasts small-screen audiences seem addicted to these days with the kind of thrilling danger and cutthroat politics that make for the most watchable prestige dramas of the moment. But the biggest difference? The dragons here aren’t set dressing; they’re intelligent, unpredictable, and occasionally lethal, and survival often depends on keeping them from roasting you alive. At the center of the story (its book form, at least) is Violet Sorrengail (Esther McGregor), a reluctant cadet whose sharp mind may be her only advantage in a brutal military academy where the cost of mistakes is measured in ashes – usually, your own. Add forbidden romances, rival factions scrambling for dominance, and a world teetering on the edge of chaos, and you have a series primed to turn a curious weekend watch into a multi-season commitment.
And, to show how seriously it takes its latest prospect, Prime Video isn’t holding back on the production side of things, either. Michael B. Jordan's Outlier Society — which has already partnered with Amazon for overall TV and first-look film deals — is bringing blockbuster-level ambition to the BookTok breakout, while Meredith Averill (The Haunting of Hill House) is signed on to guide the story, hopefully with the same precision, touch of suspense, and high-stakes drama that made her Netflix outing so memorable. All told, Fourth Wing has the makings of a fantasy juggernaut that could rival Game of Thrones in scope, spectacle, and storytelling ambition if the creative team can satisfy both die-hard book fans and newcomers alike.
Before It Was a Show, 'Fourth Wing' Was a BookTok Phenomenon
As exciting as the on-screen plans sound, Fourth Wing has already earned its hype in book form. Yarros’s debut burst onto the fantasy scene with the kind of viral momentum that makes publishers and streaming platforms take notice. The book quickly cultivated a passionate fan base, drawn to its many tropes: military academies, political intrigue, swoon-worthy romantic tension – the enemies-to-lovers kind – and, of course, mythical winged pyromaniacs. Violet's journey through danger, rivalry, and forbidden attraction kept readers turning pages late into the night, and then posting TikTok recs touting it as a standout in the crowded “romantasy” genre. Its blend of adrenaline, political theater, and “ship” potential proved practically irresistible online.
Collider Exclusive · Universe Personality Quiz Which Iconic Universe Do You Belong in the Most? Star Wars · Lord of the Rings · Harry Potter · Game of Thrones · Star Trek
Five legendary universes. Five completely different visions of what the world could be — or already was. One of them is the world your instincts, your values, and your particular way of existing were built for. Eight questions will tell you which one.
🚀Star Wars
💍Lord of the Rings
🧙Harry Potter
👑Game of Thrones
🖖Star Trek
FIND YOUR UNIVERSE →
01
What gives your life its deepest sense of meaning? Every universe is built around a different answer to this question.
ABeing part of something larger than myself — a cause, a rebellion, a fight for freedom that outlasts me. BThe journey itself — the places I'll go, the companions beside me, the world I'll discover on the way. CLearning — unlocking what I'm capable of, understanding the world's hidden mechanics, growing into something more. DLegacy — the name I leave behind, the power I build, the mark I make before the world moves on without me. EUnderstanding — exploring what exists beyond the horizon and asking what it means to be alive in a universe this vast.
NEXT QUESTION →
02
Which kind of world do you most want to inhabit? The environment shapes who you become. Choose carefully.
AA galaxy of planets, each with its own culture — connected by conflict, trade, and the Force. BAncient lands of breathtaking beauty, deep history, and a creeping darkness at the edges. CA world hidden inside our own — full of wonder, community, and magic waiting to be learned. DA brutal, beautiful continent where power is everything and every alliance is a calculation. EA future where humanity has reached the stars — and must decide what kind of species it wants to be.
NEXT QUESTION →
03
How do you prefer your conflicts resolved? The shape of a world's conflicts tells you everything about its soul.
AThrough sacrifice and courage — someone has to make the impossible choice so others don't have to. BThrough fellowship — the impossible becomes possible when the right people walk the same road. CThrough growth — confronting what you fear, understanding what you lack, and becoming equal to the challenge. DThrough strategy — outthinking, outmaneuvering, positioning yourself so the outcome was never in doubt. EThrough dialogue — finding the third option, the peaceful resolution, the answer that doesn't require a body count.
NEXT QUESTION →
04
Who do you want beside you when things get difficult? Your ideal companions reveal the world you were made for.
AA small crew — a pilot, a rogue, a warrior — each broken in their own way, unbeatable together. BA fellowship of different kinds of people, bound by purpose and deepened by the long road. CFriends who grew up alongside me — who knew me before I knew myself, and stayed anyway. DAllies whose loyalty I've earned — and tested — and whose ambitions align with mine, for now. EA crew of brilliant, curious, principled people from every corner of known space.
NEXT QUESTION →
05
What is your relationship with power? How you seek, wield, or resist power is the map of who you are.
AI want to use it to protect — and I'm terrified of what I might become if I'm not careful. BI distrust it. The most important power in this story is the courage to give it up. CI want to earn it — through knowledge, through effort, through becoming someone worthy of it. DI want to wield it. Preferably before someone else decides to wield it against me. EI want to understand it — its structures, its limits, its ethical dimensions. Power without accountability is the real threat.
NEXT QUESTION →
06
How does your universe treat good and evil? A world's moral architecture tells you more about it than any map.
AThere is a dark side and a light side — and the choice between them is always present, always personal. BEvil is real and ancient and patient — and goodness, however small, is the only thing that can undo it. CGood and evil are real, but they live inside people — and people are complicated, always capable of both. DGood and evil are mostly a matter of perspective and proximity. Power is the only honest currency. EEvil is usually the result of ignorance, fear, or broken systems — and understanding it is the first step to solving it.
NEXT QUESTION →
07
What role would you naturally fall into? Every universe has archetypes. Which one fits you without trying?
AThe reluctant hero — ordinary origins, extraordinary moment, changed forever by the choice to act. BThe unlikely carrier — the one nobody expected to matter most, quietly bearing the weight of everything. CThe student — not yet who I'll become, learning through every mistake, growing into something the world needs. DThe player — sharp enough to see the game for what it is, ambitious enough to try to win it. EThe explorer — drawn to the unknown, driven by curiosity, most alive when standing somewhere no one has stood before.
NEXT QUESTION →
08
What do you ultimately believe about the future? The answer to this is the clearest window into which universe already lives inside you.
AThat hope is real — that even in the darkest galaxy, a new hope is always possible. CThat even the smallest person can change the course of the future, if they have the courage to try. CThat love and friendship and doing what's right will matter in the end, even when everything says otherwise. DThat the wheel keeps turning — that power shifts, winters end, and what endures is those willing to fight for it. EThat humanity — or whatever we become — is capable of extraordinary things, if we choose to be.
REVEAL MY UNIVERSE →
Your Universe Has Been Chosen You Belong In…
Your answers point to the iconic universe your values, your instincts, and your particular way of seeing the world were built for. This is where you would find your people — and your purpose.
Star Wars
You believe in the cause — in the idea that freedom is worth fighting for even when the odds are impossible and the empire is vast.
- You are drawn to the moral clarity of a universe where hope itself is a form of resistance.
- You'd find your people in the Rebellion — a ragtag coalition of true believers held together by conviction more than resources.
- Star Wars is fundamentally a story about ordinary people choosing to matter in an extraordinary conflict — and that is exactly your kind of story.
- The Force may or may not be with you. But the will to use it for something larger than yourself certainly is.
Lord of the Rings
You understand, in the deepest part of yourself, that the journey matters as much as the destination — and that the world's beauty is worth protecting even at great cost.
- Middle-earth is a world of ancient wonder, deep friendship, and a darkness that only retreats when enough small acts of courage accumulate.
- You would thrive here because you value the fellowship more than the glory — the road more than the arrival.
- Tolkien's universe rewards patience, loyalty, and the willingness to carry something heavy across a very long distance.
- Those are not burdens to you. They are simply how you move through the world.
Harry Potter
You believe that love, loyalty, and doing what's right are not naive sentiments — they are the most powerful forces in any world, magical or otherwise.
- The Wizarding World is a place of wonder hidden in plain sight, where learning is transformative and the bonds you form at school follow you into every battle.
- You would flourish here because you take both the magic and the friendships seriously — and you understand that one without the other is incomplete.
- Harry Potter's universe ultimately rewards those who choose to stand for something even when standing is terrifying.
- That choice — made quietly, without guarantee — is something you understand completely.
Game of Thrones
You see the world clearly — its power structures, its hypocrisies, its brutal arithmetic — and you are not paralysed by that clarity. You use it.
- Westeros is a world that rewards intelligence, adaptability, and the willingness to understand that every alliance is also a negotiation.
- You would survive here — possibly thrive here — because you don't confuse the world as it is with the world as you'd like it to be.
- Game of Thrones is a story about what happens when the idealists and the realists collide. You are sharp enough to know which one lasts longer.
- Winter always comes. You are already prepared.
Star Trek
You believe the future is worth building — that curiosity, cooperation, and the expansion of understanding are not just ideals but the most practical path forward for any civilisation.
- Star Trek is a universe where the questions matter as much as the answers, and where encountering something utterly alien is cause for wonder rather than fear.
- You would belong here because you are fundamentally optimistic about what intelligence and decency can achieve — while being honest about how hard that achievement is.
- The Federation is the universe's most ambitious thought experiment: what if we actually got better?
- You don't just hope that's possible. You think it's the only thing worth working toward.
↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ
That built-in audience, combined with the story’s cinematic scope, makes Fourth Wing a natural candidate for adaptation. Past attempts with similar fare, like author Sarah J. Maas's Throne of Glass and A Court of Thorns and Roses series, stumbled under stalled development, showrunner exits, and an inability to translate scope to screen, leaving fans frustrated. But Fourth Wing arrives at a moment when streaming platforms are ready to commit big budgets and scale to court those disappointed viewers, meaning it’s got a real shot at getting it right. And it helps that Prime Video has already shelled out big bucks for shows of similar ilk – projects like The Rings of Power and The Wheel of Time that serve as precedent for this newcomer’s potential.
Where Is the Latest Update for the 'Fourth Wing' Show Now?
As of now, the Fourth Wing adaptation is quietly taking shape, even if most of the details are still under wraps. Yarros has shared the overarching story arc for her full Empyrean series – which covers five books in total – with the production team, giving them the broad strokes of the narrative while keeping some of the later book specifics under wraps. She’s even seen early drafts of the pilot, telling Variety that she was impressed with how the material had been translated to the screen. “I was kicking my feet the entire time I read it,” she said earlier this year. “It is phenomenal. Really, just no notes.”
Unfortunately, the project has also experienced a few changes behind the camera that could delay it further. Moira Walley-Beckett, who initially led the adaptation, exited the series, with Averill stepping in as the new showrunner. That means that whatever pilot Yarros was pleased with could be edited or scrapped completely. On the casting side, Prime Video has officially found their Violet and Xaden Riorson, played by Esther McGregor and Emilio Sakraya. Xaden is the wingleader of Fourth Wing and starts as Violet's enemy before their relationship develops into something more.
So far, the track record for fantasy adaptations is a mixed bag: attempts like Shadow and Bone and The Witcher show that a faithful approach is good, but storytelling made for the screen and strong on-screen chemistry are better. Amazon’s own history shows they can deliver epic adventure at a blockbuster scale, but while Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power proved they can get it right, The Wheel of Time is a cautionary tale: even beloved, critically praised adaptations aren’t safe if budgets balloon and viewership doesn’t follow. That uncertainty makes it harder for viewers to fully invest, knowing that no matter how brilliant the show might be, it could still vanish overnight if budgets spiral or a few executives decide it’s not worth the gamble.
The key for Fourth Wing will be getting all the moving parts right: ambitious scale with a clear, creative vision on a budget that lends itself to longevity. If the show is given room to breathe, it has the potential to deliver the sweeping, romantasy-fueled fantasy experience that readers have been craving. And it might also be the kind of cinematic binge-watch that can battle for HBO’s fiery TV throne.
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