Maya Hawke has joined the live-action adaptation of Magic: The Gathering, the fantasy trading card game being brought to the screen by Legendary Entertainment and Hasbro Entertainment. The Stranger Things actor will appear in the feature directed by Matt Johnson, who is also writing the screenplay alongside Noah Gardner and Aidan Fitzgerald. Her casting marks the first major talent announcement for the project, which is intended to introduce a wider film and television universe based on the Hasbro property.
Hawke’s role has not been disclosed, and the filmmakers have yet to reveal the film’s plot or setting. However, according to Deadline, the production is expected to feature an ensemble cast, with Hawke’s character expected to be a key part of the story. The report also states that the producers prioritised bringing the actor on board and made her the first offer for the project, ahead of auditions for several other roles. No additional cast members have been announced so far.
The film brings together Legendary and Hasbro Entertainment for a screen adaptation of a property with more than three decades of history. The two companies announced their partnership in February 2025, outlining plans for a live-action feature film that would lead into television series and additional content as the universe expands. The feature is intended to serve as the starting point for this larger initiative, although the companies have not yet shared further details about its scale, creative direction or the planned expansion.
First released in 1993, Magic: The Gathering was created by game designer Richard Garfield and is recognised by Hasbro as the world’s first trading card game. Players build individual decks and compete by casting spells, summoning creatures and using magical artefacts represented on cards. Its strategic format allows players to develop their own approaches to each match, while its fantasy mythology extends across a Multiverse comprising different worlds, characters and storylines.
Over the years, the game has grown well beyond its original tabletop format. Hasbro says it has more than 50 million fans worldwide and is published in over 150 countries. Its broader ecosystem now includes digital games, streaming, publishing, consumer products, live events and collaborations with other entertainment properties. These crossovers have brought characters and worlds from franchises such as Final Fantasy, Marvel, Star Trek, Dungeons & Dragons and The Lord of the Rings into the card game.
The breadth of the property gives the filmmakers an extensive pool of material to draw from as they develop the cinematic adaptation. Its Multiverse structure, long-running mythology and range of characters provide several possible directions for a feature film and a potential screen universe. However, it remains unclear which part of the game’s mythology the first film will explore or how the filmmakers intend to translate its gameplay and established lore into a cinematic narrative.
Hawke became widely known for playing Robin Buckley in Netflix’s Stranger Things, joining the series in its third season. Since then, she has built a filmography that includes Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Gia Coppola’s Mainstream, Bradley Cooper’s Maestro, Jennifer Kaytin Robinson’s Do Revenge and Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City. She also voiced Anxiety in Disney and Pixar’s Inside Out 2, extending her work into animation.
The actor is next set to appear as Wiress in Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. Her upcoming projects also include Graham Parkes’ romantic comedy Wishful Thinking and Netflix’s series The God of the Woods. The Magic: The Gathering adaptation adds another major franchise to her upcoming slate, as she continues to expand her work across film, television and animation beyond her association with Stranger Things.
For Johnson, the project follows his work on BlackBerry, the 2023 feature examining the rise and fall of the smartphone company. He is attached to direct and co-write the adaptation, with Gardner and Fitzgerald sharing screenplay duties. The three writers will be tasked with shaping a feature-film narrative from a property whose fictional world has developed over decades through card releases, novels and collaborations.
Adapting Magic: The Gathering also presents a distinct creative challenge. Unlike a film based on a single novel or an established sequence of cinematic stories, the game has built its mythology across an expansive collection of characters, settings and interconnected worlds. The filmmakers will need to establish a narrative that can work as a standalone feature while potentially providing a foundation for the larger screen universe envisaged by Legendary and Hasbro. How they approach that balance remains one of the central unanswered questions surrounding the project.
With Maya Hawke now attached, the adaptation has taken its first significant step towards casting. However, the central characters, remaining ensemble, production timeline and release plans have yet to be announced. For now, the next major development will be the announcement of further cast members and a clearer picture of how the creative team intends to translate the expansive Magic: The Gathering universe into a feature film.