Amazon Orders 'Fourth Wing' Series With Lisa Joy Directing and Meredith Averill as Showrunner

Amazon MGM Studios has given a formal series order to its television adaptation of Rebecca Yarros' bestselling fantasy-romance novel Fourth Wing. Michael B. Jordan announced the pickup during Amazon's upfront presentation, where the project was positioned as a significant upcoming title for Prime Video. Westworld co-creator Lisa Joy will executive produce and direct the first episode, while Meredith Averill leads the creative team as showrunner on the adaptation.

The Details

The project received its series order during Amazon's upfront presentation, where Michael B. Jordan announced the pickup as part of the company's upcoming streaming slate. The upfront presentation served as the venue for the formal confirmation, marking the project's advancement from development into active production. The announcement confirmed that the adaptation, which had been in development for more than two years, would move forward as a formal television series on Prime Video.

Lisa Joy, who co-created Westworld, is attached as an executive producer and will direct the premiere episode. Her role combines creative oversight of the series with directorial responsibility for the opening installment, placing her at the center of the adaptation's visual and narrative approach. As an executive producer, she will contribute to the broader creative direction of the series while also helming its first episode.

Meredith Averill leads the creative team as showrunner. She took over the position in September 2025 after the departure of Moira Walley-Beckett. Averill's appointment came as the adaptation was working through its development phase and seeking to establish its creative direction for the series' first season. Her role as showrunner gives her primary responsibility for the day-to-day creative leadership of the production, including script development and overall series vision.

The adaptation has been in development since October 2023, when Amazon MGM and Outlier Society acquired the rights to adapt the books. The project spent more than two years in development before receiving its formal series order. During that period, the production secured its core creative team and navigated the transition in showrunner leadership.

Variety's Jennifer Maas reported on the pickup, writing: "Get ready, riders: The long-gestating 'Fourth Wing' TV adaptation has been ordered to series at Amazon's Prime Video." The report characterized the announcement as a significant step forward for the project, which had been awaiting a formal production commitment since its development launch in 2023.

Context

The source novel, published in May 2023, follows Violet Sorrengail as she enters Basgiath War College. The story centers on her training to become a dragon rider under a system in which cadets must graduate or face death. The fantasy-romance narrative follows her experiences within the competitive and dangerous environment of the war college as she learns to bond with dragons and survive the rigorous training program established by the institution. The combination of fantasy and romance elements defines the narrative approach of the source material.

Fourth Wing is the first entry in Yarros' planned five-book Empyrean series. The second book, Iron Flame, was published in November 2023, and the third, Onyx Storm, followed in January 2025. The ongoing publication of the series provides a multi-volume narrative foundation. The remaining two books in the planned five-book series have not yet been published.

The adaptation was first put into development in October 2023. Since then, it has moved through the standard phases of development for a major streaming series, including the assembly of a creative team, script development, and the eventual transition to a formal series order. The series order marks the end of the development phase and the beginning of active production for the adaptation.

What's Next

Amazon has not announced a premiere date for the series or released any casting information. No timeline for the start of filming has been disclosed publicly. The project will move forward under Averill's creative direction with Joy directing the first episode. Production details remain to be announced.

Industry coverage notes that additional books in Yarros' Empyrean series could be adapted into later seasons if the first season succeeds. The potential for future seasons would depend on the audience reception and performance of the initial installment. Amazon's commitment to a series order provides the foundation for the adaptation to move into production, though the ultimate scope and duration of the television series remain to be determined.