Stranger Things‘ Maya Hawke became a fan favorite actress, thanks to her role as Robin Buckley. And now, she’s about to enter another iconic franchise. A franchise equally beloved by sci-fi and fantasy fans across the globe. According to a report in Deadline, Hawke is joining Hasbro’s and Legendary’s live-action feature film based on the iconic card game Magic: The Gathering, directed by Matt Johnson. Johnson will also write the screenplay, alongside writers Noah Gardner and Aidan Fitzgerald. As of now, the role she’s playing remains a mystery. But it seems she’ll have a main role in a larger ensemble. We think she may play Chandra Nalaar, assuming they embrace the big planeswalkers in MTG lore.
Magic: The Gathering began as the world’s first trading card game back in 1993. It has since become a global brand, selling $10 billion overall. So which aspects of the expansive MTG lore will the film cover? Could it take a cue from the recent Resident Evil movie, and simply focus on one aspect of the world, while carrying the title? We don’t know. Earlier this year, Matt Johnson said, “I’m still in the middle of it; that’s very much happening. It’s the biggest project I’ve ever been a part of in my life, and I’m amazed it’s happening. As of today, as of this conversation, it’s very much full speed ahead.”
Nerdist’s Take: Maya Hawke Has Proven She Can Shine in Ensemble Casts Featuring Lots of Fantastical Lore
A separate Magic: The Gathering animated series is in the cards (sorry) over at Netflix. However, it remains disconnected from the live-action film. A Magic: The Gathering movie has been planned for years, but nothing ever came of previous efforts. Twentieth Century Fox nearly made a film back in 2014, with X-Men and Star Wars Rebels’ Simon Kinberg writing. But that version fell apart rather quickly. Much like Dungeons & Dragons, there is decades of fantasy lore to pull from when crafting a Magic: The Gathering film, so there is no reason why this can’t be great. And if it has a huge ensemble cast, we already know Maya Hawke can stand out in one of those. The right ingredients are already there.
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