Maya Hawke Joins Legendary and Hasbro’s Live-Action Magic: The Gathering Film

Maya Hawke has been cast in the live-action Magic: The Gathering feature from Legendary Entertainment and Hasbro Entertainment. TheWrap reported on 4 November 2026 that Deadline first broke the news, and The A.V. Club, citing Deadline, calls Hawke the first star to join the film.

The film is the first step in a franchise plan the two companies set out in February 2025. Engadget dates its report on the licensing deal to 6 February 2025, and says the feature comes first, with other media to follow.

Who Is Making the Film

Reports say Matt Johnson will direct the film. TheWrap calls him the director of BlackBerry and lists Nirvanna the Band the Show among his credits; The Express Tribune says he is known for both. The Express Tribune and The A.V. Club say he is co-writing the script with Noah Gardner and Aidan Fitzgerald. TheWrap says he is attached to write it with them.

TheWrap lists Gardner’s credits as Calls and Super 8, and Fitzgerald’s as Calls. The Express Tribune names Super 8 for Gardner and Calls for Fitzgerald.

The Express Tribune lists Legendary Entertainment and Hasbro Entertainment as the producers. The A.V. Club does not name the producers, but says they were reportedly eager to bring Hawke on board.

TheWrap and The A.V. Club, both dated 4 November 2026, say Deadline reported the casting first. The Express Tribune, dated 5 November 2026, credits Variety for the report that Johnson will direct.

TheWrap says Legendary and Hasbro cast Hawke and tapped Johnson to direct.

Johnson’s statement in TheWrap recounts a Magic tournament story from GP Detroit. It concerns his own experience with the game, not the production.

Deal Date
Engadget reported on 6 February 2025 that Hasbro and Legendary Entertainment had signed a licensing deal for a live-action feature film and television universe based on Magic: The Gathering.

How Hawke’s Role Is Described

Descriptions of Hawke’s part differ. The Express Tribune says she has a leading role, and that her character has not been revealed. The A.V. Club says her role is undisclosed, and cites Deadline as saying she will be a key character in an ensemble cast.

TheWrap’s headline says she will star in the film, but its text does not describe her character or role. The character’s name has not been announced.

Hawke’s work, as listed in the coverage, includes Robin Buckley in Stranger Things from season three, the voice of Anxiety in Inside Out 2, and the younger Wiress in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. TheWrap also lists Little Women and Do Revenge, and names Wishful Thinking and God of the Woods as upcoming projects.

The Express Tribune says plot details and further casting have not yet been announced. Draftsim’s timeline says no role has been announced for Hawke.

Until more detail is published, the lead-or-ensemble question remains unresolved.

The February 2025 Licensing Deal

Hasbro and Legendary signed a licensing agreement for a live-action feature film and a television universe based on Magic: The Gathering. Engadget’s headline describes the deal as one for film and TV adaptations.

Engadget dates its report to 6 February 2025, while C21 Media dates its report to 7 February 2025. Engadget’s report, written by Anna Washenko, says the film comes first and other media will follow, but it gives no further detail on those plans.

C21 Media says the first project is a feature film, followed by a TV series and other related content.

C21 Media also says Hasbro calls Magic its first US$1bn brand by revenue, and that more than 50 million people play across tabletop and digital versions.

Mary Parent, Legendary’s chairman of worldwide production, is quoted by C21 Media and The A.V. Club praising the team’s care for the property. The A.V. Club quotes her describing the goal as a “multimedia universe” for longtime fans and new ones. Zev Foreman, head of film at Hasbro Entertainment, called the partnership complementary, according to C21 Media.

Engadget lists several earlier adaptation plans that did not move forward: a multi-movie deal with Universal in 2008, a Twentieth Century Fox movie attempt in 2014, and two rumored Netflix projects. It says a Netflix animated series was announced in September 2024 as in production.

Engadget also lists Legendary’s past work, including Dune, Dune: Part Two, the Dark Knight films and the Warcraft movie. C21 Media adds the Monsterverse films, including Godzilla x Kong and Kong: Skull Island, and the Minecraft movie.

At the time of the deal, no title, plot, director, cast or release date had been announced for the film.

Development Since the Deal

According to Draftsim, articles from April 2025 reported that Matt Johnson was the most likely director. Legendary and Hasbro declined to comment at the time.

In June 2025, Deadline reported that Noah Gardner and Aidan Fitzgerald had closed a deal to write the film. Both companies declined to comment, and the article names undisclosed sources.

In January 2026, Mark Rosewater wrote on his blog that the movie and the separate TV series were moving along. In February 2026, Johnson said in an interview that the project was “full speed ahead.”

In July 2026, according to Draftsim, an interview confirmed that Johnson is adapting the game into a movie and will use some crew from Dune, including storyboard artists, costume designers and locations.

The Netflix animated series is a separate project. Terry Matalas was named showrunner in September 2024, and no release date has been announced. C21 Media also describes the Netflix series as separate from the Legendary deal.

No release date for the film has been announced.

Magic’s Reach as a Franchise

TheWrap says Magic: The Gathering helped launch the trading card game genre in 1993 and has more than 50 million fans. The article lists crossovers with franchises including Final Fantasy, Marvel and Star Trek.

The Express Tribune says it is unclear how closely the film will follow the game’s established lore. It also says Johnson has spoken about his past as a competitive player.

C21 Media also lists other Hasbro film and TV work: a Clue reimagining with Sony, gameshows based on Scrabble and Trivial Pursuit with The CW, and a Monopoly movie with LuckyChap and Lionsgate.

What Has Not Been Announced

No release date for the film has been announced. No production schedule, filming start date, title, plot or distributor has been announced either.

Hawke’s character, the plot and any further casting have not been announced. No other cast member has been named, and Hawke is the only actor named as joining the film.

The reports agree on the studios, the director and the writers, while Hawke’s billing remains the main point of disagreement.