@courtenay you are not the only one whose wondering! And I agree, it's kind of important - beyond the movie setting. I'm still hoping!

I’ve never heard of Emma Mackey (since I’m not a big movie watcher, yet I’m still a movie watcher to some extent). Then, of course, during the time when Walden Media was doing Narnia, I’ve never heard of Tilda Swinton until the movie was released.

I think it will be interesting to see how Emma Mackey’s portrayal of the White Witch will be played out. Since The Magician’s Nephew is going to be the first one, depending on how well it does in the box office, she will of course come back for The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Then of course, she needs to be her own take on the character, different than Barbara Kellerman from the BBC TV series and Tilda Swinton from the Walden movies. If you do an exact copy of either of them, it’s going to be a problem. So she needs to do her own thing with that character.

This actress has interesting, memorable features. And she definitely exudes a dark charisma that Jadis possessed.

It's always a nice bonus when the people starring in Narnia movies have a previous connection to the source material. Emma Mackey still has her childhood Narnia books at her parents' house — where she was when Greta Gerwig called to give her the news she'd been cast!

https://www.narniaweb.com/2025/11/emma-mackey-had-her-childhood-narnia-books-nearby-when-she-got-casting-call-from-greta-gerwig/