Greta Gerwig's Narnia Star Breaks Silence On Casting For Netflix Reboot

Emma Mackey confirms that she has been cast in Greta Gerwig’s Chronicles of Narnia movie and addresses her involvement for the first time. Instead of adapting The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, Greta Gerwig’s Narnia movie is tackling The Magician’s Nephew. It is chronologically the first book in the series written by C.S. Lewis, even though it was the sixth installment to be published.

Netflix has not officially announced a cast yet, but many of the key roles have previously been reported for the story that explores the creation of Narnia itself. A key member of the reported cast is Emma Mackey as Jadis, the White Witch.

During an interview with MovieWeb, Mackey was asked what she can tease from her reported casting and if there are differences from previous iterations of the character. While she cannot reveal any specific details, Mackey confirms her involvement with the movie and emphasizes the “wonderful process” of working with Gerwig again and being on set. Check out her comments below:

Well, there’s zilch I can tell you about it other than it’s a wonderful, wonderful process so far, and it’s an adventure. And Greta is someone that I have immense respect for, and who’s a friend and a life force. And I’m just very fortunate to be on one of her sets. Truly.

This marks Mackey’s second collaboration with Gerwig after previously starring in Barbie (2023), where she played the role of Physicist Barbie. She joins Saoirse Ronan and Timothée Chalamet as actors who have appeared in multiple Gerwig movies, with Ronan and Chalamet both having starred in Lady Bird and Little Women.

Tilda Swinton played Jadis in Disney’s 2005 adaptation of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. If Mackey is playing Jadis, it will be a younger version of the character since The Magician’s Nephew takes place at an earlier point in the timeline of The Chronicles of Narnia books.

Other reported members of the cast include David McKenna and Beatrice Campbell as Digory Kirke and Polly Plummer, the two children who travel to the Wood Between the Worlds and Narnia, and Carey Mulligan as Digory’s mother, Mabel Kirke. Denise Gough, who is best known for playing Dedra Meero in Andor, has also shared that she is playing “someone mean” in the film, although her character’s identity remains under wraps.

Even though the upcoming Chronicles of Narnia adaptation is a Netflix movie, it will be released in theaters on November 26, 2026 for a four-week run before it begins streaming on December 25. Netflix traditionally keeps their movies exclusive to their streaming platform or only gives them a limited theatrical release. This is a significant shift in strategy for Netflix, and one that Mackey is now officially part of as she reunites with Gerwig.