The live-action Magic: The Gathering movie currently in development from Legendary Entertainment and Hasbro Entertainment has added its first cast member.
According to Deadline (first reported by Daniel Richtman earlier today), Maya Hawke will play one of the lead roles in the project, which is based on the massively popular tabletop and digital collectible card game.
"While insiders tell Deadline the cast is expected to have an ensemble feel, Hawke’s role is expected to be a key one in the project and unlike a lot of the others roles that will audition, producers made it a priority to get the Stranger Things star the first offer to join the film."
Blackberry and Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie filmmaker Matt Johnson is on board to direct, with Noah Gardner and Aidan Fitzgerald, who have previously worked on Apple TV+ thriller Calls, attached to pen the script.
"Magic: The Gathering launched in 1993 and went on to become a global phenomenon, with an expanding ecosystem of entry points that now spans streaming, digital games, publishing, consumer products, live events, and IP crossovers. The deep lore and welcoming community continue to captivate more than 50 million fans of all ages worldwide. As the world’s first trading card game, Magic spans events and professional play circuits around the world, with dedicated conventions attracting tens of thousands of players, and a thriving secondary market for rare and powerful cards.
Set across a multiverse of fantasy worlds, the game’s rich mythology continues to evolve through its card sets, novels, and crossover collaborations with iconic franchises including Final Fantasy, Marvel, Star Trek, Dungeons & Dragons, and The Lord of the Rings."
Hawke's star is on the rise thanks to her fan-favorite role as Robin in Netflix's Stranger Things. She will next be seen in Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping, Graham Parkes’ romantic comedy Wishful Thinking, and Netflix’s original series God Of The Woods.
Netflix commissioned a new animated series based on Magic: The Gathering back in 2018, with Avengers: Doomsday duo Joe and Anthony Russo on board as executive producers.
The Russos, who are long-time fans and players of the fantasy trading card game, were said to be joined by Henry Gilroy (Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars: The Clone Wars) and Jose Molina (The Tick, Agent Carter) as lead writers and co-exec producers, but updates have been few and far between since,
The series was reportedly going to focus on an all-new storyline, but would involve M:TG's famed Planeswalkers "as they contend with stakes larger than any one world can hold."
"Magic is a beloved global franchise with a massively engaged fan base that has only continued to grow over the last 25 years,” said John Derderian, head of anime programming at Netflix at the time. "There’s no one better suited to bring this story to audiences around the world than Joe and Anthony Russo, whose talent for genre storytelling is unmatched, as demonstrated by their central role in creating some of the biggest box office hits of all time."