Michael B Jordan says Fourth Wing TV show won't be 'cheesy'

Best-selling fantasy book Fourth Wing is coming to life in a TV adaptation - but Michael B Jordan, whose company is developing the show, says the casting of its beloved characters is still very much in the works and there won't be any "obvious choices".

The actor told the BBC he hopes to cast a mixture of new faces along with some well-known names.

"When it's done the right way, I think you can have a nice balance where casting won't be distracting," he told the BBC.

The star, who is nominated for an Academy Award for the hit film Sinners, promised that the show - about dragons, magic, warfare and steamy romance - won't be "cheesy".

Jordan's production company Outlier Society snapped up the rights with Amazon to author Rebecca Yarros' fantasy novels, which have sold millions of copies globally in 40 languages.

He acknowledged that casting would be crucial for adapting the Empyrean series, starting with Fourth Wing. The book franchise now spans three books, with two more expected.

"It allows people to, like, fall in love with the characters that they have imagined in their head without any baggage, with projecting their own feelings on certain casts," he explained.

Jordan noted that the number of roles in the series would allow a deep cast of characters.

"So just know, it's nothing cheesy coming out. It ain't no obvious choices. I think it's going to be something that feels honest," he added.

Jordan will be an executive producer on the Fourth Wing TV series. Asked whether he might play a role himself, he looked around before repeatedly replying: "I don't know."

Jordan was speaking on Tuesday at the annual Academy Awards luncheon in Los Angeles, where his Vampire horror film Sinners was widely celebrated after becoming the most nominated film in Oscars history.

Jordan's nomination for best actor is among 16 nods the film nabbed for Hollywood's most coveted honours, which are set to take place next month in Los Angeles.

Now, the Black Panther and Creed star is moving into doing more producing and directing, including with the forthcoming heist remake The Thomas Crown Affair. It follows his 2023 directorial debut with Creed III.

"As I've grown, my career has grown, and the want to explore other parts of the industry and other parts of our business and other parts of storytelling has always kind of been there," he explained to the BBC.

"It's been something I've been wanting to do for a long time," he said, noting his work is sometimes the "hunter, gatherer of IP (intellectual property)" to develop.