Now, The Hollywood Reporter has brought word that Barbie star Emma Mackey has been cast as the White Witch for The Chronicles of Narnia. Though Netflix has not commented on the casting at the time of writing, the news does come a little over a month after Charli XCX was reported to be a frontrunner for the role of the iconic franchise villain, with sources now reporting that it ultimately came down to Mackey and The Substance's Margaret Qualley for the part.

What Mackey's Casting Means For The Chronicles Of Narnia

Gerwig Could Look To More Frequent Collaborators For Other Roles

While there have been multiple adaptations of Lewis' novels, and multiple actors have played the part, Tilda Swinton's turn as Jadis the White Witch is arguably Chronicles of Narnia fans' favorite of the group. However, what's interesting about Mackey's casting as the villain when compared to the Oscar winner is that the latter was in her mid 40s when playing the character, whereas Mackey is still in her late 20s, thus seemingly indicating a younger version of Jadis.

This would align with Jason Isaacs seemingly letting it slip that Gerwig's first movie would actually adapt The Magician's Nephew in lieu of The Lion, the Witch and The Wardrobe. The 1955 novel was a prequel to the main series of Chronicles of Narnia books, in which the creation of Narnia by Aslan is shown, and Jadis is revealed to have existed before and destroyed an ancient realm known as Charn. While believed to have lived for over 1,000 years before her death, she was always presented as an ageless figure, but Mackey's casting could give her room to star in the entire franchise.

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Beyond the narrative potential behind her casting, Mackey ing The Chronicles of Narnia could also open the door for other prior Gerwig collaborators to be cast in the film. Saoirse Ronan, who was absent from the Barbie cast in spite of her and Gerwig's desire to have her appear, previously confirmed they haven't had any discussions, but would be open to appearing in the reboot. Should The Magician's Nephew be the first movie, though, it may limit Gerwig's possibilities since it largely focuses on child characters Digory and Polly.

Our Take On Mackey's Chronicles Of Narnia Casting

An Intriguing Choice For The White Witch