Maya Hawke is set to join the live-action Magic: The Gathering film, giving Legendary Entertainment and Hasbro Entertainment their first major casting move on the project. Her role has not been disclosed, but it is being treated as a key part of the movie.
The casting is drawing attention now because Hawke would be stepping into one of her biggest film assignments since Stranger Things ended last year, and the project is still in early motion. Matt Johnson will direct the movie and is writing it with Noah Gardner and Aidan Fitzgerald, while insiders say the cast is expected to have an ensemble feel.
That makes Hawke the first offer the producers wanted to land, and they made it a priority to get her on board. Deadline reported that the role is expected to matter inside the story, even though no details have been disclosed, which leaves the most obvious question unanswered for now: who she will actually play in a franchise built from Magic: The Gathering.
Legendary Entertainment and Hasbro Entertainment are developing the film as part of a live-action feature and television universe based on the brand, which launched the trading card game in 1993 and has since grown into a billion-dollar property. The franchise reaches more than 50 million fans worldwide and has already crossed over with Final Fantasy, Marvel, Star Trek, Dungeons & Dragons and The Lord of the Rings.
For Hawke, the move fits a busy stretch that already includes The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, Wishful Thinking and God of the Woods. Her screen credits also include Inside Out 2, Asteroid City, Do Revenge, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Mainstream and Maestro, but this film is shaping up as the one that could define what comes next.
