Here’s Who Should Play Violet & Xaden in the Fourth Wing TV Series—& the Star Who Should Play Literally Anyone

Violet Sorrengail (Freya Allan)

In Fourth Wing, our protagonist Violet is described as having “pale skin, pale eyes and pale hair” due to an illness her mother, Lilith, caught during pregnancy. Due to an unnamed physical condition, she views herself as frail and physically weak, though she makes up for it in mental strength tenfold. We have to assume she’s on the shorter side, around 5’2″ or 5’3″ based on Xaden’s comments.

Freya Allan would be perfect for the role of Violet. She’s got experience with the fantasy genre as Ciri from The Witcher and she’s pretty age-appropriate (Violet’s said to be around 20, Allan is around 22 at the time of writing). Her delicate facial features lend well to a character like Violet, and while she might be a little taller at 5’5″, we think she’d ace this role. Honorable mention goes to Sadie Sink.

Xaden Riorson (Mena Massoud)

In an interview with Variety, Yarros said that contrary to a lot of fan art, Xaden is not white. “We’re just going to say he’s POC, we’re just going to leave it at that. I didn’t rise to the bait of a lot of those posts, which I think probably got me some flack, but I knew we were already in development for TV, and I want to make sure that role is open to as much diversity as possible,” she said.

In the books, Xaden is—rather thirstily—described as: “tall, with windblown black hair and dark brows. The line of his jaw is strong and covered by warm tawny skin and dark stubble … His eyes are the shade of gold-flecked onyx.”

Physically, we can’t think of a better option than Mena Massoud, an Egyptian-born, Canadian-raised actor who got his big break in the live-action remake of Aladdin. He’s got prince energy for sure, but he served up some darker, brooding ability in Hulu’s Reprisal.

Of course, the top choice for a lot of fans is Red, White & Royal Blue star Taylor Zakhar Perez. Yes, he’s super hot, but we feel like he might be a little old for this role.

Tairn (Idris Elba)

For one of Violet’s two dragons, the most popular choice for Tairn is Idris Elba, whose deep, dulcet tones would be perfect. In terms of a body of work, Elba has done extensive voice work with Knuckles in the Sonic universe, as well as wise authoritative figures like Heimdall in the MCU.

An honorable mention goes to Christopher Judge, who played Teal’c in Stargate, but may be better known for his role as Kratos in the God of War video game series.

Sgaeyl (Amy Adams)

Amy Adams has a soothing, yet authoritative voice that would be perfect for Xaden’s dragon Sgaeyl. This character has a little bit of attitude, which Adams can serve up, but we also believe that ultimately Sgaeyl has a good heart.

Andarna (Anna Kendrick)

For Violet’s second bonded dragon, we thought Anna Kendrick’s innocent, and higher-pitched voice would be perfect for Andarna because she’ll need to adapt her voice to suit a younger, then more mature, winged beast. Kendrick has done voice work before as Poppy in Trolls, as well as Stacey Pilgrim in Scott Pilgrim Takes Off.

Liam Mairi (Lucas Till)

Liam is described as a tall man with spiky blonde hair, strong features, and prominent dimples when he smiles. As far as physical similarities, we can see that in droves with Lucas Till, who audiences may know from Walk The Line and the reboot of Macgyver. Liam is a loveable character—loyal, charming, with a good sense of humor. We can see Lucas taking on this role with gusto.

Rhiannon Matthias (Tati Gabrielle)

Rhiannon Matthias is a second-year rider and Violet’s best friend. She’s described in Fourth Wing as having “dark brown hair”, “worn in several rows of short braids that just touch the equally dark skin of her neck.”

From a personality perspective, she’s fiercely loyal, a hardened fighter, and not someone you want to mess with—so Tati Gabrielle’s work in Unchartered and The 100 mean she’s no stranger to action sequences, of which there are quite a few as a cadet of Basgiath War College.

Dain Aetos (Charlie Rowe)

For Violet’s childhood, over-protective friend Dain Aetos, British actor Charlie Rowe gives off that boy-next-door-who-could-still-kick-your-ass vibes. However, he could still turn into a villain in later installments of the books due to his distrust of Xaden. Balancing this with his unrequited romantic affection for Vi, Rowe’s experience in portraying nuanced characters could make him a great fit for the role of Dain.

Jack Barlowe (Alexander Ludwig)

For the ruthless, blood-thirsty, and competitive Jack Barlowe, no one other than actor Alexander Ludwig came to mind because of his role as Cato in The Hunger Games. This is actually who we visualized when reading the book.

General Lilith Sorrengail (Famke Janssen)

Violet’s mother General Lilith Sorrengail is stern, tough as nails, and has no qualms about making the ultimate sacrifice to save her children. Dutch actor Famke Janssen would be perfectly suited to this role. You’d know her as Dr. Jean Grey in the X-Men movie franchise, as well as the main villain Muriel in Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters.

Honorable mention goes to Lena Headey because she would SERVE as the General.

Mira Sorrengail (Daisy Ridley)

Look, Daisy Ridley is probably too big a star for the supporting role of Mira Sorrengail, Violet’s sister, but this is a dream casting so we feel like we can let our imaginations run wild. Is there really anything more to say about this? Ridley is experienced with fight scenes thanks to Star Wars and Rey carries herself with a lot of conviction in the same way Mira does.

Ridoc Gamlyn (Christopher Meyer)

We can’t take credit for this one, but after we saw @msmorganmelton’s TikTok about her Fourth Wing dream cast, we couldn’t agree more on Christopher Meyer as Ridoc Gamlyn. The character is described as solidly built and often supplies comic relief. For Meyer’s acting resume to include The Sex Lives of College Girls and Wayward Pines, he can clearly straddle both serious and more comedic roles.

Imogen Cardulo (Mia Goth)

Imogen Cardulo is a third-year rider at Basgiath War College, a member of the rebellion, and president of the Anti-Violence Club. She is also friends with Xaden and a member of Fourth Wing, Flame Section, Second Squad. For Imogen, Mia Goth’s versatility could be a real asset.

Literally Anyone (Dylan Efron)

Dylan Efron has professed his love for Fourth Wing. The Traitors winner has unlimited knowledge of the book series and expressed interest in playing any character on the show adaptation. “Oh, hell yeah! Sign me up,” he told Page Six about if he’ll open himself up to being cast on the show.

As for what his dream role is, he said, “Pretty much anyone but Dain,” he joked. “So any of the characters but him!”