Anaverse
‘Kings of Sin’ Dream Cast: Our Picks for Dante, Ayana, Vuk & More
Welcome back to the Anaverse, Swooonies! It’s time for our long-awaited Kings of Sin dream cast.
Ever since Netflix announced that Twisted Love by BookTok’s favorite billionaire romance writer, Ana Huang, is getting an adaptation, fans have been wondering about the fate of Twisted‘s interconnected series, Kings of Sin.
Beginning with King of Wrath, which focuses on the arranged marriage turned sweeping love story of rival billionaires Dante Russo and Vivian Lau, each interconnected standalone in the Kings of Sin series is based on one of the seven deadly sins. Huang is currently on the fifth book in the series, King of Envy, which was released on April 29, 2025. By far the most morally gray love story of the bunch, King of Envy follows Vuk Markovic, a silent but deadly liquor tycoon, and Ayana Kidane, a model caught up in a marriage of convenience.
If you’re new to Ana Huang’s catalogue of romance series, which consists of Huang’s If Love, Twisted, Kings of Sin, and Gods of the Game, it’s important to know that all of her books take place in the same universe, affectionately known by fans as the Anaverse. For that reason, it’s not uncommon for characters from one series to make appearances in another. While these appearances range from fun cameos to plot-altering moments, we agree with fans that the Anaverse, in all its dark and spicy glory, is better together.
As we (not so patiently) wait for Netflix’s official cast announcement, we’ve dreamed up a cast for the Twisted couples, ranked the Twisted series, and shared our burning questions following King of Envy. Now that we’ve hit Kings of Sin Book 5, we’re thrilled to continue our dream Anaverse lineup with the Kings of Sin couples! Read on to see the actors and actresses that we envision roaming the halls (and secret rooms) of the Valhalla Club.
Does our dream cast make you swooon? Comment below with who you would cast in a Kings of Sin adaptation!
Brianne Tju as Vivian Lau
Having recently come into (big) money, the Lau family is eager to make their way into high society. Their golden ticket? Marrying off their strong-willed daughter to Dante Russo. As the first Kings of Sin FMC, King of Wrath‘s Vivian Lau will always have a special place in our hearts. To bring Vivian to life, we’ve selected Brianne Tju, best known for her work in Uglies and the I Know What You Did Last Summer series. We already see Vivian in Tju’s sleek and refined look, but for us, it’s Tju’s dry wit that makes us most confident that she’s our girl.
Steven Krueger as Dante Russo
We first meet the other half of King of Wrath‘s enemies-to-lovers romance, Dante Russo, in Twisted Hate when Josh Chen sells him “Magda”, the priceless painting at the heart of the last two Twisted books. However, we don’t truly know him until he begrudgingly welcomes his new fiancée, Vivian, home. Turns out, from Dante Russo and Vivian Lau to soy sauce and vanilla ice cream, some very unexpected things are better together. For Dante, we were really looking for someone who gives off Jason Tartick energy (Bachelor Nation, IYKYK). Ultimately, we landed on Yellowjackets standout Steven Krueger. Krueger has already portrayed one man who cared so deeply that it brought us to tears. Why not make Dante Russo the second?
Eva Noblezada as Isabella Valencia
Picture Eva Noblezada with some purple hair dye, and tell us we didn’t hit the nail on the head with this one. King of Pride is led by Vivian’s best friend, Isabella Valencia, a bartender at New York’s exclusive Valhalla Club, who dreams of finally finishing writing her first erotic thriller novel. The Valhalla Club has a clear set of rules for employees and members, but after one too many awkward run-ins with Valhalla member Kai Young, it’s clear that forbidden fruit may be the sweetest of all. We firmly believe that Isabella’s portrayer should be just as musical as she is quirky, so we’ve chosen Broadway sweetheart Eva Noblezada to take on the beloved role.
Justin H. Min as Kai Young
Kai Young may pick classics (specifically ones he can translate to Latin) over dinosaur erotica, but he is by far Isabella’s perfect match. We loved seeing Kai stepping out of his calm and collected comfort zone in King of Pride, and we know just the actor that we want to see portray his journey on screen: The Umbrella Academy star Justin H. Min. While many know him as Ben Hargreeves, Min has a history in acting in rom-coms, which has us giddy for more. Give him some glasses and a key to Valhalla’s secret library, because, to us, he is the perfect Kai Young.
Camila Morrone as Alessandra Davenport
Who said: “You broke my heart, and you weren’t even there to witness it.” Taylor Swift or Ana Huang? If you guessed Ana Huang, then you know Huang gave us some of her most poignant, beautifully crafted lines about heartbreak through King of Greed‘s Alessandra Davenport. To deliver Alessandra’s story of strength and forgiveness, we’d love to see Camila Morrone, who won our hearts as Camila Dunne in Daisy Jones and the Six. As a book adaptation girlie with a knack for portraying resilience through heartbreak, we know Morrone would be a perfect addition to Kings of Sin.
Patrick Schwarzenegger as Dominic Davenport
King of Greed? More like King of Yearning. Here at Swooon, we love to see a fictional man pine after his fictional loved one, and Dominic Davenport doesn’t disappoint. At least, he doesn’t disappoint after he forgets his wedding anniversary, causing his wife to leave him. If there’s one actor who’s got yearning down to a science, it’s The White Lotus Season 3 star Patrick Schwarzenegger. Honestly, he’d only need to hand us that one picture of him longingly looking back at the resort during the season finale as an audition. The role would be his in a second.
Grace Van Patten as Sloane Kensington
If you’ve seen our Kings of Sin ranking on TikTok you know that King of Sloth is our favorite book in the series. Apparently, this is a bit of a hot take, but we’ll forever stand by our love for King of Sloth for one big reason: rom-com hate-watcher Sloane Kensington. As the head of Kensington PR, Sloane deals with a lot of difficult clients. But no one client is more detestable (or fine) than Xavier Castillo. To play Kings of Sin‘s PR baddie, we’ve chosen Grace Van Patten, who has proven she can perfectly balance an “ice queen” exterior with sensitivity underneath on Tell Me Lies.
Noah Centineo as Xavier Castillo
Charm and chaos all rolled into one, billionaire heir Xavier Castillo is Sloane’s most difficult (and tempting) client by far. We adore the Benny Blanco-esque way Xavier cares so deeply about Sloane, so we had to give him an actor we already know can take a rom-com to the next level. Dearest Noah Centineo, we so greatly miss your To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before rom-com days. We leave Xavier in the safety of your hands.
Alyah Chanelle Scott as Ayana Kidane
Ayana Kidane is anything but the classic model stereotype. A FMC after our own hearts, Ayana loves curling up to knit with a cup of tea. It’s safe to say Ayana is at a little bit of a crossroads in her job and her (lack of real) love life at the beginning of King of Envy, so we need someone who can balance the action of the story with Ayana’s romantic, almost coming-of-age journey. For this role, we’ve picked Alyah Chanelle Scott, who brought the romance, laughter, and (sporty) action to The Sex Lives of College Girls. Are the Brotherhood’s shenanigans a little (okay, a lot) different than the action you would find in a college soccer game? Absolutely. But we’re certain Scott has the acting chops needed to shine in both narratives.
Florian Munteanu as Vuk Markovic
To say Vuk Markovic is obsessed with Ayana would be an understatement. This man is something else. Unfortunately, Huang’s silent but deadly MMC, Ayana, is already marrying his best friend. That is, unless he can convince her otherwise. To play King of Envy‘s morally gray lead, we have Creed III star Florian Munteanu. We’re certain Vuk will be an incredibly physical role, so we’ve gone for an actor with more of an action background on this one. Get this man a cat sidekick, and we’ve got our Vuk!
