Emma Mackey joins Greta Gerwig’s ‘Narnia’ as the White Witch

Emma Mackey is on board for Greta Gerwig‘s upcoming Narnia adaptation for Netflix.

• READ MORE: ‘Barbie’ review: Greta Gerwig’s grown-up toy story is fantastic fun

The Sex Education star will take on the role of the White Witch, the primary villain of the story, who was previously played by Tilda Swinton in 2005’s The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Per Variety, Mackey will join Meryl Streep, who is in talks to play Aslan – the talking lion who serves as Narnia’s guardian and guide for the human children who enter its world.

It marks her second time working with Gerwig, after she was cast in 2024’s Barbie.

Gerwig wrote the script and is directing the film, which will reportedly be an adaptation of the sixth novel of the series, The Magician’s Nephew.

The film is currently slated to open in Imax on Thanksgiving Day 2026 (November 26), where the film will screen worldwide — and exclusively — for two weeks in advance of the film’s debut on Netflix around the following Christmas.

In 2018, Netflix announced it would develop new series and film projects based on C.S. Lewis’ beloved The Chronicles of Narnia novels, and Gerwig was brought on board in 2020 to adapt and direct. With the project still in the very early stages of development, details remain scarce.

“C.S. Lewis’ beloved Chronicles of Narnia stories have resonated with generations of readers around the world,” said Netflix’s chief content officer Ted Sarandos at the time of the purchase.

“Families have fallen in love with characters like Aslan and the entire world of Narnia, and we’re thrilled to be their home for years to come.”

It was then revealed last year that Gerwig would write and direct two films in the Chronicles Of Narnia universe for the streaming service in coming years, signalling the start of a larger move from Netflix to create a host of movies and TV shows in the franchise.

This is Gerwig’s first project since delivering Warner Bros. its highest-grossing movie ever, Barbie ($1.44 billion), which also landed an Oscar win for Billie Eilish and Finneas’ original song ‘What Was I Made For?’ Charli XCX’s song ‘Speed Drive’ was also part of the film’s soundtrack.

It was previously rumoured that Charli XCX was among the top choices for the role, having worked with Gerwig in an Uber Eats Super Bowl advert alongside Matthew McConaughey, Kevin Bacon, Sean Evans, and Martha Stewart. The ad, which played at this year’s Super Bowl, hooked onto the idea that American football is all a conspiracy to make people hungry.

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