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Warning : This list contain spoilers for Holly Black ’s The Folk of the Air novel .
Summary
Manyfantasy novel series are being adaptedinto flick and TV show these days – is it possible that Holly Black’sThe Cruel Princewill be next ? Perfect for devotee of Sarah J. Maas’A Court of Thorns and RosesandThrone of Glassseries , The Cruel Princefollows human Jude Duarte who was bring up in the faerie kingdom of Elfhame alongside her sis after their parent ' murder . The Cruel Princeis the first book inThe common people of the Airtrilogy , followed byThe Wicked KingandThe Queen of Nothing .
Throughout the series , Jude endeavors to navigate the pageantry and political relation of the faerie world , leading her to face her enemy , ally , and lover , Prince Cardan Greenbriar . Cardan is just one of the mysterious and morally ambiguous residents of Elfhame with whom Jude interact . There is also Nicasia , the lordly princess of the Undersea ; Prince Dain , Cardan ’s manipulative blood brother ; and Madoc and Oriana , Jude ’s intrigue foster parents who are bound together by a game - changing enigma . A hypotheticalCruel Princemovie would command a talented set of actors to land these complex fictional character to living .
Before writingThe Cruel Prince , Holly Black was best known for co - create the child ’s phantasy seriesThe Spiderwick Chronicleswith Tony DiTerlizzi .
10Kaitlyn Dever As Jude
Best known for playing Marie Adler in Unbelievable (2019) and Rosaline in Rosaline (2022).
Humans are of 2d - grade status in Elfhame , which is whyJude is determined to prove herself as a attack aircraft and politician . She is headstrong and never miss a chance to assert herself within her adopted family and Elfhame ’s society . She has brown hair and eye , a kernel - shaped face , and often wears her hair styled into horns . In addition to matching Jude ’s appearing in the book , Katilyn Dever is broadly a gifted actress with two Golden Globe nominating speech under her belt .
Dever most recently played thetitle character in Hulu’sRosaline , a comedic reimagining ofRomeo and Juliet . In this moving picture , Rosaline is depicted as a schemer set to win back Romeo while resisting her parents ' attempts to get hitched with her off . Rosaline ’s motives and methods are standardized to Jude’s , although Rosaline ’s story has a more humorous slant . It would be enceinte to see Dever play this character archetype again in a more serious place setting .
ACOTAR protagonist Feyre Archeron ’s soft - spoken sister Elain will be a challenge to cast because of the character ’s subtle complexity and growth .
9Finn Wolfhard As Cardan
Best known for playing Trevor Spengler in Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) and Mike Wheeler in Stranger Things (2016-2025).
Finn Wolfhard has benefited from a swift rise to fame along with the repose of theStranger Thingscast , land roles in the recentItandGhostbustersmovies . Yet audience are still eager for more from Wolfhard , and he might view eventually maltreat out of the persona of the Goonies - type crowd ’s de facto ringleader . Wolfhard intimately matches the Scripture ’s description of Prince Cardan , who has precipitous cheekbone and curly fateful hair . Cardan is the unseasoned son of the King of Elfhame and arguably the title character of the first book .
Jude and Cardan have an enemies - to - lovers storyline : Cardan is initially depicted as irredeemably cruel and he and his inner roach of friend bully Jude and her sister Taryn . Cardan is abuse by his family unit and grows up with the burden of a prognostication that he will be the downfall of the throne . He cover up his own emotion , especially his magnet to Jude , with ruthlessness . He and Jude tardily become ally and ally .
8Katherine Langford As Taryn
Best known for playing Meg Thrombey in Knives Out (2019) and Hannah Baker in 13 Reasons Why (2017-2020).
Taryn is Jude ’s twin sister , who poses a specific casting challenge . Several plot full point hinge on Jude and Taryn being selfsame twins and people not being able to enjoin them asunder . For this reason , the producers of an adaptation ofThe Cruel Princemight just have the actress playing Jude also play Taryn . On the other hand , they could write these patch elements out and cast them based on a restrained resemblance .
Katherine Langford proved herself as an actress who can portray powerful emotions in13 Reasons Why . Additionally , she play a grapheme who is entitled and manipulative but is mostly unaware of these shortcoming inKnives Out . The latter role makes her especially perfect to play Taryn , whose relationship with Jude becomes strained when she consistently chooses her fiancé Locke over her babe .
7Maya Hawke As Vivienne
Best known for playing June in Asteroid City (2023) and Robin Buckley in Stranger Things (2016-2025).
The daughter of Uman Thurman and Ethan Hawke star alongside Wolfhard inStranger Things , and has also had part inAsteroid Cityand the Best Picture nomineeMaestro . Maya Hawke is certainly open of playing June and Taryn ’s half - baby Vivienne " Vivi,“who has cat - alike features . Vivi is half - faerie , the daughter of Madoc and his former human wife Eva . Vivi was raised in the human realm by her mother and her human whole step - father Justin , who was Jude and Taryn ’s beginner .
Madoc finally come up the Duarte phratry , drink down both parent , and takes all three daughter back to his home in Elfhame . While her young baby acclimatise to living in the faerie realm , Vivienne is adamant that Madoc is their foe . As she uprise elder , she spends more prison term in the human realm , where she has a girlfriend bring up Heather .
6Ben Barnes As Madoc
Best known for playing Prince Caspian in The Chronicles of Narnia movies (2008 & 2010) and General Kirigan in Shadow and Bone (2021-2023).
Who better to play a roughshod eccentric who at some point has a somewhat warm relationship with the master character than Ben Barnes ? Barnes play a character who function a standardised role in therecently - canceled tv set showShadow and Bone , an adjustment of another young adult phantasy series . Barnes could perfectly play Madoc , the Duarte sister ' foster father . Madoc violently kill Jude ’s parent in retaliation for them pass on with his girl Vivi . He adopts Jude and Taryn because they are"the offspring of his wife"and therefore his responsibility .
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5Gugu Mbatha-Raw As Oriana
Best known for playing Dido Elizabeth Belle in Belle (2013) and Judge Renslayer in Loki (2021-2023).
Oriana is Madoc ’s married woman and the adoptive mother of Oak , who she claims is her own biologic son . Oriana was a close friend of Liriope , one of the King ’s consorts who had an occasion with Prince Dain . When Dain plotted to mangle his and Liriope ’s son Oak , Oriana took Oak away from tourist court and married Madoc for the protection he could allow them both . Oriana is an adept courtier and could be played by Gugu Mbatha - Raw , whose preceding office demonstrate that she can limn characters who are conservatively lady - similar but also convey office .
4Tati Gabrielle As Heather
Best known for playing Jo Braddock in Uncharted (2022) and Hannah Kim in Kaleidoscope (2023).
Heather is Vivi ’s human girlfriend who visits the faerie realm once , and is traumatized when another faerie temporarily jinxes her to have computerized tomography ears . Heather is genial and caring but brook up for herself and breaks up with Viviwhen she learns that Vivi erase her memory board of being hexed . WhileTati Gabrielle ’s characters inKaleidoscopeandUnchartedare not exactly like Heather , she has experience playing a tough but kind character from voicing Willow inThe Owl House . Heather also has pinkish hair , and Gabrielle often dyes her haircloth dissimilar colors – and always looks heavy .
3Jamie Campbell Bower As Locke
Best known for playing Anthony in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) and Jace in The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013).
Locke is a faerie who is a member of Cardan ’s circle of friend . He briefly has a human relationship with Jude , but it is revealed that he only showed sake in Jude to test Tayrn . Taryn had fallen in love with Locke and Locke declared that Taryn must silently tolerate his manipulation of her sister to evidence her love .
Jamie Campbell Bower is staring to play Lockebecause of the chain of character he has played in the past . He play distinctive love - interestingness characters inSweeney Todd : The Demon Barber of Fleet StreetandThe Mortal instrument : City of Bones . His more late role in theTwilight Sagaand brief coming into court in theHarry PotterandFantastic Beastsmovieswere more malevolent , manipulative persona . Locke would have scenes call back both of Bower ’s character archetypes .
2Jacob Elordi As Dain
Best known for playing Elvis Presley in Priscilla (2023) and Felix Catton in Saltburn (2023).
Dain is another prince of Elfhame and is Cardan ’s older brother . He recruit Jude to become his undercover agent and enclose her to his Court of Shadows . He initially come along to be an ally who respect Jude , but eventually reveal himself to be cruel and power - hungry . Jude discovers that Dain order for his lover Liriope to be poison while she was pregnant with his son Oak , hop to kill them both , because it was prophesized that if the baby was born Dain would never be king .
Jacob Elordi would be perfect as Dainbecause , as he has demonstrated in his most recent movies , he is adept at playing a case who is believably charming but ultimately selfish . InPriscilla , Elordi encounter Elvis , who dotes upon his married woman but tries to mould her into his ideal ikon of a woman . InSaltburn , he is the entitled Word of a wealthy family who , perhaps unconsciously , manipulates his protagonist and crime syndicate .
Amazon is conform Rebecca Yarros ' Fourth Wing book into a TV series , and the show must get the casting for the major characters right-hand .
1Jenna Ortega As Nicasia
Best known for playing Tara Carpenter in the Scream movies (2022 & 2023) and Wednesday Addams in Wednesday (2022-Present).
Nicasia is another extremity of Cardan ’s mathematical group of champion when they are first introduced . Nicasia ’s mother Queen Orlagh rules the Undersea , an underwater kingdom that co - exist with the faeries on land . Nicasia is sent to be fostered in Elfhame ’s court , where she swagger almost everyone . She is Cardan ’s former lover but still has smell for him , making her hate Jude even more . Jenna Ortega obviously has the power to play a superior and disdainful yet complex graphic symbol , making her the perfect somebody to fill in the roll ofThe Cruel Princeas Nicasia .
