There’s a great deal of speculation surrounding theFourth WingTV series in development at Amazon Prime Video. With the talk of a new fantasy adaptation coming to the small screen, the conversation ofperfect casting choices always follows, andFourth Wingis no exception.Fourth Winghas amazingly well-written characters, each with their internal struggles and depth. One character in particular stands out as a difficult role to cast due to theduality of being protective and antagonistic - Dain Aetos.
Dain is the childhood friend of the novel’s protagonist, Violet Sorrengail, and plays a prominent role in both theFourth WingandIron Flamebooks, and is expected to be a major character inOnyx Storm. The star of theDivergenttrilogy, Theo James, has been flagged as a great option to play the overprotective stickler for the rules Dain, buthis age may get in the way of the casting.Fourth Wingis set in Basgiath War College, a place for younger people to learn the art of dragon-riding. Theo James might be a little too old for the role intheFourth WingTV show.
Theo James Would Have Been The Perfect Dain Actor For Amazon’s Fourth Wing TV Show
Both Dain Aetos and Theo James Carry Themselves With Strength
15 years ago, Theo James would have been ideal for the role of Dain in Amazon’sFourth Wing. Dain’s physical description in the novel invokes the appearance of Theo James, especially in some of his earlier roles. He is relatively tall, standing at around 183cms and carries himself with a stoic but compassionate presence. Appearance is not everything to a character’s role, but howthe character is perceived can make or break the part. Theo James could easily perform as a character with some redeeming qualities, though with an initial conflict with the hero, Violet.
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Unfortunately, Theo James is much older than Dain. InFourth Wing, Dain is 21, whilst Theo James is 35. It would not be the first time fantasy fiction adaptations have changed characters' ages to make a novel work better with an actor or on screen.Games of Thronesfamously upped the age of numerous characters, such asBrienne of Tarth being 17 in the books and 32 in the show. Considering Dain is a second-year at Basgiath War College, increasing the character’s age too dramatically to fit Theo James' age would be far too jarring.
Divergent Already Proved Theo James Can Handle A Book Character Like Dain
Theo James' Performance As Four Shows Is Charm And Also Depth
Even with the question of age being a reasonable consideration for the role, Theo James' role as Four inDivergentshowed his range as a complicated character. There are certainly some stark differences between Dain and Four.Dain is much more manipulative in protecting Violetwhen he considers her incapable of taking on risks, whilst Four allows Tris Prior to embrace the dangers to become stronger. They both care for their female companions but approach their relationships much differently. This is likely due to the childhood relationship Dain and Violet shared, whilst Four and Tris meet in Dauntless.
Dain’s focus on order and authority ultimately clashes with Violet’s more chaotic personality and doing what is right.
Dain’s focus on order and authority ultimately clashes with Violet’s more chaotic personality and doing what is right. This relationship is reflected in Four and Tris to some degree, showing how Theo James can bounce off a co-star with differing personalities. A major difference is thatDain’s relationship with Violet inFourth Wingremains unsteady by the end, without them coming to a resolution, unlike the relatively secure relationship between Four and Tris.It would not be untilIron Flamethat things improved.
Amazon’s Fourth Wing Show Must Strike A Delicate Balance With Dain
Dain Is A Mixture Of Antagonist, Love Interest, And Support
Dain’s role in the first novel is not exactly the expected male love interest for the hero. While he may play toward that role as the story progresses in the second novel, his position inFourth Wingis far more antagonistic to Violet’s agenda. His zealous behavior in his arrogant perception of what is rightdirectly clashes with Violet’s arcand, as such, is an obstacle to her journey. His stubborn decisions make him somewhat unlikable, even if readers can decipher that his motives are not evil, just misguided.
Due to Dain’s behavior inFourth Wing, Amazon will need to carefully cast and write a character who is an antagonistic force to Violet’s story but also has the likability to find some sort of redemption readers hope for in the third installment,Onyx Storm.Theo James would be perfect for the role of Dainto aggravate the audiences enough butstill have the charm to pull viewers back to his sidein the future, just like Nikolaj Coster-Waldau did for Jaime Lannister inGame of Thronesif he was just 10 years younger.
