The White Witch who locked all of Narnia into an endless winter without Christmas is a key character in a number of The Chronicles Of Narnia. She is the main antagonist of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950) and The Magician’s Nephew (1955), and is referenced in several more books.
Jadis is introduced in The Magicians Nephew as the last Queen of Charn, a city in an entirely different world from Narnia. She was the last of a long line of kings and queens, who were good in the beginning but grew evil over many generations and conquered the entire world of Charn, ruling it as despots.
She rebelled against her sister and fought against her. Cast into an endless sleep, she is accidentally resurrected at the moment of Narnia’s creation by Aslan, which ultimately leads to the events of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.
Previously played by Tilda Swinton in the last, aborted, attempt to adapt the entire Chronicles, there is now a new name in the frame for the role.
According to a report in Deadline, British singer and multiple Grammy winner Charli XCX is apparently the favorite for the Jadis role in Greta Gerwig’s upcoming adaptation. The “brat summer” singer has already appeared in several movies, including Romain Gavras’ Sacrifice and Gregg Araki’s I Want Your Sex.
Barbie director Gerwig is set to start shooting in July for a two-week IMAX release for Thanksgiving 2026, then a Christmas release on Netflix.
Details are very much under wraps right now. Nobody knows who will be starring, or even which books will be adapted first, but the smart money is on The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe as the first book and most well-known story. Chronologically, The Magicians Nephew is first.