Amazon executive Vernon Sanders has opened up on the way the streamer is set to approachFourth Wing’s graphic violence and sex scenes. The streaming giants are adapting the hit first novel of Rebecca Yarros’Empyreanseries, which is set to span five novels - but no release date has been announced for the show yet.
Fourth Wing, and the rest of theEmpyreanseries, follow the character of Violet Sorrengail, and other students, at Basgiath War College, as they train to become dragon riders, a process that is both grueling and dangerous. The novel contains many scenes of brutal violence and sex, and Sanders has opened up on how Amazon will approach this.
PerVariety, Sanders talked about the importance of looking at the protagonist when telling stories, and how YA is all about the journey, and the trials and tribulations involved in becoming an adult. He also talked about the need to consider the audience, and how it is a complex process to tick all the right boxes.
For us, we look at the protagonists, and are the protagonists telling stories about becoming adults, or the trials and tribulations of being a young adult? But we also look at the readership or the fanbase for these properties, and if they are being driven by younger audiences at their core.
That’s an incredibly compelling piece of the puzzle to it. It’s a broad category, but as we look at trying to be a service that’s not only global, but that appeals to all audiences — we’re focused on young men, we’re focused on young women, and we’re focused on adults who are 35-plus, as well — we’ve got different strategies for each of them. But this strategy has led our momentum with young women, and we’re very excited by the results we’ve seen so far.
What This Means For Amazon’s Fourth Wing Adaptation
Will Fourth Wing Be Toned Down For The Screen?
When adapting any popular source material, it is important to consider the fanbase, and how they take to the story. Sanders' comments make it clear that Amazon is serious about trying to understandFourth Wing’s audience so that they can create the right narrative to suit fans of the books, and capture the right tone and essence.
Amazon’sFourth Wingadaptationis primed for big things, but it will need to get its tone and balance right, and focusing on young women, as Sanders alludes to, is one of the best ways of doing this. If the show can get this right, the adaptation should wind up as one of the most successful that Amazon has produced.
It must be noted thatFourth Wing, though, is considered a novel for adults and contains a lot of graphic violence and scenes of a sexual nature. If Amazon is targeting a younger audience, though, the show may look less likeGame of Thronesand more like some of the more toned down fantasy adaptations that the streamer has already produced, includingRings of PowerandWheel of Time.
Our Take On Fourth Wing
The Show Has A Lot Of Potential
Fourth Wingwill mark another highly-anticipated YA fantasy adaptation in the same vein asNetflix’sShadow & Bone, but there is a chance of greater success that comes with it. If the adaptation can balance the violence and sex with the right tone and substance,Fourth Wingcould end up being one of Amazon’s biggest hits.
With three published novels in the Empyrean series, there is plenty of source material for the show to adapt. Amazon will be hopeful thatFourth Wingcan perform better than itscanceledWheel of Timeadaptation, and, with a dedicated fanbase and an engaging story, there is reason to believe the streaming giants could have a big hit on their hands.
Fourth Wing
Based on the novel series by Rebecca Yarros, Fourth Wing is an action-adventure fantasy series in development for Prime Video. Announced in 2024, Fourth Wing will follow the adventures of a young woman named Violet Sorrengail, who has been taken from her peaceful book-reading life and thrust into a world of danger when she is forced by her mother to join an elite group of dragon-riding warriors.
