The latest casting news about Greta Gerwig’s upcoming “Narnia” movie just hit: the role of the infamous White Witch will go to none other than “Sex Education” star Emma Mackey. It’s not the first time Mackey’s starred in a Gerwig project, either; she also played Physicist Barbie in Gerwig’s 2023 hit blockbuster “Barbie.”
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The White Witch was played by Tilda Swinton in the 2005 film adaptation of “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.” Gerwig’s movie, however, will be an adaptation of the (very underrated) sixth Narnia book, “The Magician’s Nephew.” The book shows the White Witch at an earlier point in her life, and it explains how she ended up in the position the Pevensie kids meet her in. How will Mackey’s performance compare to Swinton’s unsettling take on the villain? We’ll just have to wait and see.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Mackey was chosen amid a tight competition. “While many actresses vied for the part, it came down to Mackey and ‘The Substance’ star Margaret Qualley,” according to the outlet. THR also noted, “Casting rumors have swirled around the high-profile project for months. Charli XCX was at one point tipped for the role of the White Witch, but that proved to be premature.”
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Most of the cast for The Magician’s Nephew is still a mystery
Nobody quite knows what to expect from Gerwig’s take on “The Chronicles of Narnia.” We know from her “Little Women” adaptation that she knows how to make major changes to a classic story’s structure without angering its fans; her decision to tell that tale non-chronologically could’ve been a confusing mess, but it ended up strengthening the source material’s biggest emotional punches. But will her personal spin on “Narnia” have the same success?
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Some book fans grew skeptical earlier this month when it was announced that the role of Aslan might be going to Meryl Streep. Streep’s involvement still hasn’t been confirmed, but the mere fact that Gerwig and her collaborators are looking at women for that role is a clear departure from the source material. Aslan, intended in the books to be something of a Jesus Christ allegory, has always been presented as male. In the previous movie adaptations, he was voiced by Liam Neeson.
As for who will play the book’s main kid duo, Digory Kirke and Polly Plummer? There’s still been no news. Daniel Craig has been in talks to star in the movie, possibly for the role of Digory’s creepy Uncle Andrew; much like Streep’s involvement, however, that’s not official yet either. What we do know is that the film will receive a two-week theatrical release on Thanksgiving 2026 and will be released on Netflix on Christmas a few weeks later. That seems far off, but hey, if Narnia could wait over 100 years for Christmas during the White Witch’s reign, we should be able to wait another 19 months to find out what Gerwig is cooking.
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