The White Witch has been found.
British actress Emma Mackey has nabbed the coveted role of the evil spellcaster in Narnia, Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia fantasy novels.
Netflix is backing the adaptation of the books, with Gerwig’s feature reportedly tackling the sixth novel of the series, The Magician’s Nephew. Gerwig wrote the script and is directing. The casting marks a reunion between Gerwig and Mackey; the latter appeared in the filmmaker’s billion dollar grossing Barbie.
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. And while many actresses vied for the part, it came down to Mackey and The Substance star Margaret Qualley.
Netflix declined to comment on the casting.
White Witch, whose name is Jadis, is the primary antagonist of not just Magician’s Nephew but also the best known of all the Narnia books, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. She is the one who plunged Narnia into an endless winter (where it never ever gets to Christmas) and turns her enemies into statues.
The project is in the nascent casting stages. Mackey will join Meryl Streep, who is in talks to play Aslan, the talking lion who in the books is the King of Kings.
In a rare move for Netflix, the streamer is giving Narnia a two-week theatrical Imax run in late 2026, something Gerwig fought for.
The White Witch role continues Mackey’s white hot rise. The actress, who was best known for her work in Netflix’s Sex Education, appeared in 20th Century Studios’ all-star mystery Death on the Nile and was part of the Barbie line-up. Among her recent work has been starring as the titular character in Emily, a reimagining the life of Emily Brontë that earned the actress two British Independent Film Awards nominations.
Mackey is in production on J.J. Abrams’ untitled feature for Warners, starring alongside Glen Powell and Jenna Ortega. She is expected to make an appearance at the Cannes Film Festival for the unveiling of Alpha, the latest movie from Titane director Julia Ducournau, in which she has a supporting role. The actress also plays the titular lead in Ella McCay, James L. Brooks’ all-star comedy that will open theatrically Dec 12.
Mackey is repped by CAA, Johnson Shapiro and Ziffren Brittenham.
