File photo: Maya Hawke at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival (photo by GabboT, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons). This is not an image from the Magic: The Gathering movie.
What happened
Maya Hawke is reportedly the first major star cast in the live-action Magic: The Gathering movie. Deadline first reported the casting on November 4, 2026, and Polygon, CBR, TheWrap, Collider and other outlets quickly followed. Hawke's character has not been announced.
What the reports do agree on is the shape of the role. The film is expected to have an ensemble cast, but Hawke's part is described as a key, central one. Producers reportedly made her their first offer and prioritised her before auditions for other roles. After years of false starts for a Magic movie, the project now has a recognisable face at its centre — which is why the news travelled so fast.
Who is Maya Hawke?
Maya Ray Thurman-Hawke, born July 8, 1998, is an American actor and singer-songwriter, and the daughter of actors Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman. She debuted as Jo March in the BBC's 2017 Little Women.
Most viewers know her as Robin Buckley in Netflix's Stranger Things, a role she joined in season three and kept through the final season in 2025. She also voiced Anxiety in Pixar's Inside Out 2. Her next role is Wiress in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, due later in November 2026.
What is Magic: The Gathering, for newcomers?
Magic: The Gathering (MTG) is a collectible trading card game created by Richard Garfield and first published by Wizards of the Coast in 1993. It effectively invented the trading card game genre.
Each player takes the role of a Planeswalker, a magic user who can travel between different worlds, called planes. Players build a deck of spells, creatures and artefacts, then duel until one side's life total hits zero. Over 33 years, the game has grown into a huge fantasy universe with dozens of planes — the material the movie must draw on.
Who could Maya Hawke play? (Speculation only)
No character is confirmed, so this section is fan speculation, not a studio announcement. The names fans and outlets keep raising are:
- Chandra Nalaar — the fire-slinging pyromancer, and the most frequently guessed name.
- Liliana Vess — a necromancer who commands the dead, a darker option.
- Nissa Revane — an elven elementalist connected to nature itself.
- Elspeth Tirel — an angelic knight figure, a classic hero of the lore.
- Jaya Ballard — a hot-headed task mage from the older Dominaria storyline.
One scooper report noted the casting grid listed the part only as a "female lead", with no character name. The film could also tell an entirely original story, using the lore only loosely. Until Legendary or Hasbro says otherwise, treat every specific character guess as unconfirmed.
Who is making the movie, and what is not confirmed?
Legendary Entertainment and Hasbro Entertainment announced a Magic: The Gathering film and television universe in February 2025. Matt Johnson, director of BlackBerry, is directing and co-writing with Noah Gardner and Aidan Fitzgerald. Johnson said in February 2026 that the project was moving full speed ahead.
Still unknown: no release date has been announced, no distributor is confirmed, no plot details have been shared, and no other cast members have been named. The casting itself is reported, not yet officially confirmed by the studios in a press release. There is also a separate animated Magic series in development for Netflix, run by Terry Matalas — do not confuse it with this live-action film.
FAQ
Who is Maya Hawke playing in the Magic: The Gathering movie?
Her role has not been announced — only that it is a key role in an ensemble cast. Chandra, Liliana, Nissa, Elspeth and Jaya are fan speculation.
When is the Magic: The Gathering movie coming out?
No release date has been announced. The film is still in development, with no distributor or plot confirmed.
Who is directing it?
Matt Johnson, director of BlackBerry, co-writing with Noah Gardner and Aidan Fitzgerald, for Legendary Entertainment and Hasbro Entertainment.
What is Magic: The Gathering?
A trading card game first published in 1993, in which players act as Planeswalkers — magic users who travel between fantasy worlds — and duel with decks of spells, creatures and artefacts.
Is the Netflix animated series the same project?
No. The Netflix animated series, run by Terry Matalas, is separate from Legendary's live-action film universe.
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Sources
- Deadline, via Polygon — "Magic: The Gathering Casts Stranger Things Star as Female Lead" — https://www.polygon.com/magic-the-gathering-movie-cast-maya-hawke-hasbro/
- CBR — "Magic: The Gathering Live-Action Movie Lands Stranger Things Star in First Major Casting" — https://www.cbr.com/magic-the-gathering-movie-cast-maya-hawke/
- TheWrap — "Maya Hawke to Star in Live-Action 'Magic: The Gathering' Movie at Legendary and Hasbro" — https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/movies/maya-hawke-live-action-magic-the-gathering-movie/
- Collider — "'Magic: The Gathering's First Movie Officially Gets Its Biggest Update Yet" — https://collider.com/magic-the-gathering-movie-cast-maya-hawke/
- ComicBook — "Magic: The Gathering Confirms First Star With Stranger Things Favorite" — https://comicbook.com/movies/news/magic-the-gathering-confirms-first-star-with-stranger-things-favorite/
- ComingSoon — "Magic: The Gathering Live-Action Movie Casts Huge Hunger Games & Stranger Things Star for Key Role" — https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/2218132-maya-hawke-hasbro-live-action-movie-offer
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