Posted in: Movies, Netflix | Tagged: Emma Mackey, greta gerwig, the chronicles of narnia
Emma Mackey has reportedly joined the cast of Netflix’s adaptation of The Chronicles of Narnia as Jadis the White Witch.
Article Summary
- Emma Mackey cast as the White Witch in Netflix’s The Chronicles of Narnia adaptation.
- Mackey was reportedly in contention with Margaret Qualley for the role of Jadis.
- Greta Gerwig directs the project, anticipated to release on Netflix by December 2026.
- Netflix acquired Narnia rights in 2018, aiming to revive the series with new films and shows.
There have been some weird casting rumors surrounding the new Netflix adaptation of The Chronicles of Narnia for a while now, but it seems we might finally have our first definitive name attached to the project. It sounds like things are still very early along, so it isn’t surprising that we haven’t heard anything before now, but Netflix and the production need to get things moving if they want to make that reported fall 2026 release date. According to The Hollywood Reporter, they have cast one of the big roles in the film. Emma Mackey has joined the cast and will play the White Witch Jadis. She is the primary antagonist in the first book and was infamously played by Tilda Swinton in the first big screen adaptations.
- London, United Kingdom – February 18, 2024: Emma Mackey attends the 2024 EE BAFTA Film Awards at The Royal Festival Hall in London, England. Editorial credit: Fred Duval
- BARBIE – LA PRESS JUNKET PHOTO CALL JUNE 25, 2023 – Director/Writer Greta Gerwig attends the BARBIE Press Junket Photo Call at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA – Photo by Eric Charbonneau
Sources say the casting came down to Mackey and Margaret Qualley. Mackey is joining Meryl Streep , who is reportedly in talks to voice Aslan, the Lion. This will give a whole new angle to the “God is a woman” line of thinking that has become increasingly prevalent over the last decade or so.
The Chronicles of Narnia And Adapting “Foundational” Pieces Of Media
Several book series are considered “foundational” when it comes to genres, and The Chronicles of Narnia is absolutely one of those book series. Between 2005 and 2010, three of the books were adapted to the big screen with pretty decent results. The books aren’t massive the way that Dune is, so there wasn’t a need to cut too much out, and they all have pretty definitive beginnings, middles, and endings, making them pretty ripe for adaptation. However, like all media involving children, the passage of time, delays, and dwindling box office returns got in the way of future movies.
Netflix acquired the rights to make more films and television series based on the books back in 2018, but it took quite a while for the streaming service to get anything off of the ground. Following the massive success of Barbie, it was pretty clear that director Greta Gerwig could do anything she wanted, but she signed on to do The Chronicles of Narnia for Netflix. The last time we heard about the production, they wanted to start production in 2024, but unless that happened while no one was looking, that didn’t quite happen. We also don’t know how Netflix is planning to adapt these books either. Much like Harry Potter or Percy Jackson, when you’re doing a franchise where your cast is children, you are on a very strict timetable, or things start to get weird regarding aging. See all the jokes about the final season of Stranger Things. The first film will get an exclusive IMAX theatrical run during the Thanksgiving 2026 weekend, all launched on Netflix in December.
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