Following her work on Barbie, director Greta Gerwig is adapting C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia for Netflix, with the first film currently casting. Now, one of the major roles has been filled. Emma Mackey has reportedly been cast as Jadis, an evil sorceress who is best known by the people of Narnia as the White Witch.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Mackey nabbed the part of the White Witch over the other top contender, Margaret Qualley. Previous reports that Charli XCX was playing the White Witch didn’t pan out. However, THR notes that the rumors about Meryl Streep voicing the lion Aslan appear to be true with the actress currently in talks for the role. In the books, Aslan is a male lion who was voiced by Liam Neeson in the previously released theatrical movies.
Jadis was introduced in the first Narnia novel, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, as the intractable tyrant who ruled over the land with an endless winter. Her power was so great that even Father Christmas couldn’t enter Narnia before Aslan’s return was immanent. Gerwig’s movie will reportedly adapt Lewis’ sixth novel, The Magician’s Apprentice, which served as an origin story for Narnia and revealed how Jadis came to be there.
The role marks Mackey’s return to Netflix after her leading part in the streamer’s sex comedy Sex Education. Mackey also had a small role as one of the Barbies in Barbie, as well as a supporting part in Death on the Nile. Additionally, Mackey played Emily Brontë in the 2022 film Emily.
Earlier this year, a report emerged about former James Bond actor Daniel Craig eying a role in Gerwig’s Narnia film, but that has yet to be confirmed. What has been confirmed is that Netflix will give Gerwig’s Narnia movie a limited release in IMAX
The film is expected to hit theaters around Thanksgiving 2026, with a Netflix debut near Christmas 2026.
