Fourth Wing Is Becoming a Prime Video Series With Michael B. Jordan

Fourth Wing — the dragon-rider romantasy that took over every BookTok shelf and airport display in 2023 — is officially becoming a Prime Video series, and Michael B. Jordan is the one making it happen.

Jordan announced the series pickup himself at Amazon’s upfront presentation Monday at the Beacon Theatre in New York, where he took the stage not as an actor, but as a producer with a growing empire. His production company, Outlier Society, had quietly snapped up the rights to Rebecca Yarros’ Empyrean book series before the first novel even hit shelves in May 2023 — a bet that paid off spectacularly when Fourth Wing debuted as an instant New York Times bestseller and became one of the defining book-world phenomena of the decade.

The series follows twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail, who is ordered by her military general mother to join candidates competing to become elite dragon riders at the brutal Basgiath War College. It’s the kind of high-stakes, emotionally charged world that readers have been desperate to see brought to life — and now they’re getting it.

The Creative Team Coming Together

The names attached behind the camera are serious. Lisa Joy, co-creator of HBO’s Westworld, will direct the first episode and executive produce. Meredith Averill, who co-created Netflix’s Locke & Key, comes aboard as showrunner — replacing Moira Walley-Beckett, who had originally joined the project in summer 2024 but later exited. The series was first put into development back in October 2023, but stalled before Averill’s arrival last September got things moving again.

Additional executive producers include Outlier president Elizabeth Raposo, Jonathan Nolan, and Athena Wickham of Kilter Films. Liz Pelletier and Sherryl Clark executive produce for Premeditated Productions, with Outlier’s EVP of TV Stefano Agosto co-executive producing. Yarros herself is also on board as an EP.

Yarros sounded genuinely moved by the team assembled around her work. “I’m thrilled to be working with this dedicated, experienced team and grateful for their passion for both the books and the readership behind them,” she said. Peter Friedlander, Head of Global Television at Amazon MGM Studios, called the series “one of the most anticipated adaptations in the world” — which, given the size of the fandom, isn’t much of an exaggeration.

A Big Night for Jordan’s Production Company

Fourth Wing was just one part of what turned into a major moment for Jordan at the upfront. Introduced by Friedlander and Amazon film chief Courtenay Valenti, who praised the studio’s “expansive relationship” with Outlier Society, Jordan walked out to announce not one but three Prime Video projects.

First was The Greatest, a Muhammad Ali biographical series created by Ben Watkins — and notably the first-ever project about Ali’s life authorized by his estate. Ali’s widow, Lonnie Ali, is serving as consultant and joined Jordan on stage to talk about the project and the young actor, Jaalen Best, who will take on the role of Ali, beginning as Cassius Clay. Jordan brought Best out to the crowd before a sizzle reel teased what’s coming.

Then came Delphi, a spinoff of the Creed franchise Jordan is making alongside his frequent collaborator Ryan Coogler, with showrunner Marco Ramirez attached. Production is set to begin in Los Angeles on May 18.

And finally, Fourth Wing — the one that had fantasy fans losing their minds on social media before the upfront was even over.

As for whether Jordan will appear on screen in Fourth Wing himself, that’s still unclear. For now, his fingerprints are all over the creative side — and given that Outlier Society locked in the rights before Yarros’ debut novel was even published, it’s clear Jordan saw something special in this world long before the rest of the world caught up.

The Empyrean series now spans three books — Fourth Wing (May 2023), Iron Flame (November 2023), and Onyx Storm (January 2025) — with two more planned. That’s a lot of dragon-riding story left to tell. And Prime Video just cleared the runway.