Emma Mackey to Play the White Witch in ‘Narnia’

Recently, we learned that Meryl Streep is in talks to play heroic, and somewhat messianic lion character Aslan in the movie, and according to The Hollywood Reporter, the forces of darkness have found their leading lady.

Rising star Emma Mackey, known for Netflix’s ‘Sex Education’ series has landed the role of Jadis, the White Witch, seeing off competition from the likes of ‘The Substance’s Margaret Qualley.

It’s the first properly confirmed –– if not officially announced yet –– piece of casting, but there have been plenty of rumors in the past; the likes of Natalie Portman, Daisy Ridley, Brie Larson, and Selena Gomez have all shown interest in Gerwig’s project, and the director talked to recent ‘Anora’ Oscar winner Mikey Madison about a role.

Related Article: Meryl Streep in Talks to Voice Aslan for Greta Gerwig’s ‘Narnia’ Movie

What are the ‘Narnia’ novels?

2005’s ‘The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’. Photo: Walt Disney Pictures.

In case the various film and TV adaptations have passed you by (the TV series was largely on the BBC in the UK, but the movies were big fantasy productions by 20th Century Fox in an era when studios were looking to capitalize on the success of ‘The Lord of the Rings’), the ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ is a series of seven books by British author C.S. Lewis.

Illustrated by Pauline Baynes and originally published between 1950 and 1956, the series is set in the fictional realm of Narnia, a fantasy world of magic, mythical beasts, and talking animals.

It narrates the adventures of various children who play central roles in the unfolding history of the Narnian world. Except in ‘The Horse and His Boy,’ the protagonists are all children from the real world who are magically transported to Narnia, where they are sometimes called upon by Aslan to protect Narnia from evil. The books span the entire history of Narnia, from its creation in ‘The Magician’s Nephew’ to its eventual destruction in ‘The Last Battle.’

Possibly the most famous tome in the set (and the one more normally adapted) is ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.’

As for Jadis, she’s a nasty sort known for freezing Narnia in an endless winter (where Christmas never comes –– boo! hiss! etc.), and turning her enemies into statues. She’s the main antagonist of both ‘The Magician’s Nephew’ and ‘The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe.’

What’s the story of Greta Gerwig’s ‘Narnia’ movie?

‘Barbie’ Director/Writer Greta Gerwig attends a Photo Call at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. Photo Credit: Caroline McCredie Photography.

Gerwig’s movie will adapt the sixth novel in the ‘Narnia’ series, the aforementioned ‘The Magician’s Nephew,’ which chronologically takes place first in the series. The novel tells the origin of Narnia and is centered on youngsters Digory Kirke and Polly Plummer, who discover the magical world through Digory’s uncle’s magic.

Daniel Craig, per Deadline, has been in talks to play Uncle Andrew, while Charli XCX had been linked to potentially playing Jadis –– the role that Mackey has now landed.

If Gerwig’s first ‘Narnia’ movie is a success, she may end up adapting the others.

The biggest development for the movie before casting started was that Gerwig had managed to swing an exclusive two-week Imax global run in 90 countries across 1,000 auditoriums in advance of the movie’s drop on Netflix.

That’s pretty much unheard of in terms of Netflix releases, which has been loathed to give even its biggest talents more than a cursory theatrical release, mostly preferring to drive subscribers to its servers. So it’s a big vote of confidence in the writer/director (but then, again, when you’ve made ‘Barbie,’ it buys you some clout.)

Where else have we seen Emma Mackey?

Emma Mackey in season 1 of ‘Sex Education’. Photo: Jon Hall/Netflix.

Mackey, as mentioned before, broke out big playing Maeve Wiley in ‘Sex Education,’ which was a big hit on Netflix and ran between 2019 and 2023.

Since then, she’s exploded into the movie sphere, with the likes of ‘Death on the Nile’ and Emily.

But perhaps most pertinent to this latest job is her role as one of the Barbies in Gerwig’s 2023 smash hit named for the doll.

Coming up, Mackey has indie dramas ‘Hot Milk’ and ‘Alpha’ and will also be seen in James L. Brooks’ new political comedy ‘Ella McCay,’ playing the title character.

She has also been working on J.J. Abrams’ mysterious new blockbuster project.

So, when will Greta Gerwig’s ‘Narnia’ movie be on screens?

Narnia will release in Imax on Thanksgiving Day 2026, so November 26th and debut on Netflix on Christmas Day 2026.

Tilda Swinton as Jadis in ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’. Photo: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

List of Movies and TV Shows in the ‘Chronicles of Narnia’ Franchise:

Buy ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ Movies On Amazon