‘The Hunger Games’ Star Maya Hawke Is the First Big Star to Join Matt Johnson’s ‘Magic: The Gathering’ Movie
For decades, a ‘Magic: The Gathering‘ movie felt like one of those projects that existed only in fan wish lists. The card game created by Richard Garfield in 1993 has been a schoolyard staple, a global tabletop phenomenon and a lore-heavy fantasy world where players act as powerful wizards known as planeswalkers. Yet every attempt to bring it to the big screen eventually fizzled out.
Past efforts include a 2008 Hasbro agreement with Universal that fell apart and a 2014 push at 20th Century Fox that involved Simon Kinberg and was later axed. Meanwhile, the property kept growing, and in 2022 it became Hasbro’s first $1 billion brand. That track record is part of why the latest version of the film has fans cautiously hopeful.
The newest chapter in that story is a significant piece of casting. Maya Hawke is set to star in the live-action ‘Magic: The Gathering’ movie, according to an exclusive from Deadline, which says she is the first big star to join the project. Her role has not been disclosed, but insiders say the part is expected to be a key one.
Deadline reports that the cast is expected to have an ensemble feel, with most roles going through auditions. Hawke is the exception, since producers made it a priority to give the ‘Stranger Things’ star the first offer. That suggests the filmmakers see her as an anchor for the whole production.
Fans have already started guessing which character she might play, and some have floated Chandra, the game’s fire-slinging planeswalker. One scooper reported that the casting grid listed the part only as a female lead, so the character remains under wraps. For now, it is safest to treat any specific character as speculation.
Hawke is best known as Robin on ‘Stranger Things’, and she voiced Anxiety in ‘Inside Out 2’. Her film work also includes ‘Asteroid City’, the ‘Fear Street’ trilogy and ‘Wildcat’, where she played Flannery O’Connor.
Legendary Entertainment and Hasbro Entertainment announced the live-action film in February 2025 as the launch of a ‘Magic: The Gathering’ film and television universe. Matt Johnson is directing, and he is attached to write the script alongside Noah Gardner and Aidan Fitzgerald. The two studios are also partnering on a TV universe built around the brand.
Johnson is best known for ‘BlackBerry’ and for ‘Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie’, the box office hit adapted from his own cult series. A fantasy franchise with decades of lore is a major leap from those scrappy comedies, which is part of what makes his involvement so intriguing. Johnson is also a player of the game himself.
Johnson said in February 2026 that the movie was moving full steam ahead. In a later interview, in July 2026, he indicated that the production plans to use some of the talent behind the ‘Dune’ films, including storyboard artists, costume designers and locations. That is a noteworthy detail for a film that is still in relatively early development.
There is no release date yet, and no distributor has been confirmed. Plot details are also being kept secret, so the film’s story and which part of the game’s multiverse it will explore remain open questions. Wizards of the Coast, the company behind the game, is attached to the film alongside Legendary and Hasbro.
Casting is often the first real signal that a long-gestating adaptation is becoming a real movie. Landing a recognizable star early gives the project some momentum, particularly for an IP that has watched so many earlier attempts stall. It also signals that Legendary and Hasbro want a name that can help introduce the world to audiences who have never opened a booster pack.
The bigger test will be whether the film can satisfy longtime players while still welcoming newcomers. With a director who loves the game and a star with plenty of genre experience, the early pieces are promising. Now fans simply have to wait for more casting news and the first real glimpse of the multiverse on screen.
Which Magic: The Gathering character would you like to see Maya Hawke play?
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