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Michael B. Jordan's Prime Video show Fourth Wing could outdo Game of Thrones, and it will divide viewers
Fourth Wing is the first major romantasy adaptation, and its adult tone sets it apart from earlier big fantasy shows.
A fantasy show built on a divisive trope
Michael B. Jordan has a major Prime Video fantasy show on the way soon, and it will divide audiences. [1] The reason is that it relies heavily on a majorly controversial trope. [1]
That show is Fourth Wing, described as Prime Video's upcoming Michael B. Jordan vehicle that could become the show to outdo Game of Thrones. [1] The bar is high: HBO spent an unprecedented amount of money on the budget of Game of Thrones season 1 in 2011. [1]
The first big romantasy test
Fourth Wing is the first major romantasy adaptation. [1] It will test whether the romantasy publishing trend can translate to small-screen success. [1]
Romantasy is a subgenre that mixes romance of varying spice levels with fantasy settings, tropes and characters. [1] A Court of Thrones and Roses has sold over 13 million copies since the novel series began. [1]
Fantasy trends in publishing are not always immediately taken up by movies and TV, and fantasy is expensive to produce. [1] Game of Thrones and its spinoffs have shown there is a mainstream market for mature, R-rated fantasy shows. [1]
The books and the story
Rebecca Yarros wrote Fourth Wing, which was published in 2023 as the first book in the Empyrean Pentalogy. [1] Iron Flame and Onyx Storm follow it. [1]
The show follows 20-year-old Violet Sorrengail, who is forced by her strict army general mother to become a dragon rider at Basgiath War College. [1] Violet has a challenging physical condition that makes her prone to injury. [1]
The setup may remind readers of How To Train Your Dragon, but the books are much more adults-only in nature. [1]
Why the tone differs from Game of Thrones
The Empyrean Pentalogy is unapologetically adult in content, with explicit sex scenes surprisingly early in its enemies-to-lovers story. [1] The Fourth Wing books are mainstream romance novels in terms of sexual content, so the show will have a markedly different tone from earlier major fantasy shows. [1]
The romance elements of Fourth Wing owe more tonally to Bridgerton than to Game of Thrones. [1] The Game of Thrones sex scenes were as apt to be disturbing as they were to be romantic. [1]
Some fantasy fans will likely be put off by Fourth Wing's style. [1]
Who is making it
Meredith Averill is the showrunner of the Fourth Wing series, and Averill and Yarros are listed as its creators. [1] Lisa Joy is listed as a director. [1]
Esther McGregor and Emilio Sakraya are listed in the cast. [1] The series is listed as Not Yet Rated. [1]
What it means for you
If you follow fantasy on TV, the cast has been announced for the Fourth Wing adaptation. [2] The show has not yet premiered on Prime Video, and the premiere is still some time away. [2]
If you favor the tone of Game of Thrones, know that the show will have a markedly different tone from earlier major fantasy shows. [1] Some fantasy fans will likely be put off by its style. [1]
Sources
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