Maya Hawke has been cast in a “key” role for Legendary’s live-action Magic: The Gathering movie, which is also planned to have a television series.
Magic: The Gathering’s live-action adaptation seems to have finally found its footing, with Deadline reporting that Stranger Things star Maya Hawke is the first actor to be officially cast in the film. Sources told the outlet that Hawke’s role is a “key” one, and that the project will have an “ensemble” feel. The same insiders said producers were focused on making sure she got the first offer to join.
It seems that Legendary and Hasbro have big plans in mind, as the iconic trading card game franchise is also set to receive a television universe. Canadian actor/director Matt Johnson is set to direct and write the film, alongside co-writers Aidan Fitzgerald and Noah Gardner.
Matt Johnson is best known for BlackBerry, a comedy-drama about the BlackBerry phone, and Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, a sci-fi-ish comedy movie based on a web series he co-created. His filmography is a bit sparse, but given his comedy chops — along with Deadline’s report of an “ensemble cast” — it seems like the Magic: The Gathering movie could have a similar tone and feel to Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.
This is the latest news from this movie to surface after it was first confirmed in 2025 when Hasbro and Legendary announced their partnership and intentions to make an MTG movie. In July 2026, Vulture confirmed Matt Johnson’s involvement in the project, with storyboard artists, costume designers, and location scouts from Dune also reportedly lending their talents to the film.
Magic: The Gathering has faced decades of difficulty in its attempts to snag a screen adaptation. Its struggle first began in 2008, when Hasbro struck a deal with Universal to make movies based on several of its big brands, including MTG. Unfortunately, this project died a slow and painful death and, by 2012, it was ultimately canceled.
20th Century Fox (now 20th Century Studios) then snagged the film rights to Hasbro’s card game in 2014, which again sat in limbo until card designer Mark Rosewater confirmed the project was dead in 2022. This was especially painful, as several big names were attached to Fox’s MTG movie; Simon Kinberg (X-Men: Days of Future Past) was set to supervise, and Bryan Cogma — a writer for Game of Thrones — was also brought in to write the film.
Netflix also tried to snag a piece of the pie in the early 2020s with a live-action movie and an animated series that, unsurprisingly, also went nowhere. Now, Legendary and Hasbro are working hand-in-hand to finally bring MTG’s vibrant universe from cards to screens.
This is the latest big adaptation news to come from Legendary after the release of its Street Fighter movie this October, which proved to be a mixed bag among fans and critics but managed to secure top spot in the box office during its opening weekend.
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Virginia (she/her) is IGN’s News Editor. With ten years of experience reporting on games and entertainment, she’s got a storied background in the fighting game community, influencer news, and viral online trends. Find her on Twitter at @TheeMissGlaze.