Maya Hawke to Star in Matt Johnson's ‘Magic: The Gathering’ Movie

Here's another acclaimed indie filmmaker going full-on IP for his next project.

Matt Johnson, the guy behind the excellent "BlackBerry" and "Nirvana the Band the Show the Movie," is set to direct Legendary's adaptation of Hasbro's "Magic: The Gathering." And it looks like casting is underway.

DanielRPK is reporting that Maya Hawke has been cast in Johnson's "Magic" movie. Hawke is best known as Robin on Netflix's "Stranger Things," and she voiced Anxiety in Pixar's "Inside Out 2." Her film work includes Wes Anderson's "Asteroid City," the "Fear Street" trilogy, and "Wildcat," where she played Flannery O'Connor. She's also set to play Wiress in "The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping."

A year ago, Legendary and Hasbro announced plans for a "Magic" film and TV universe, and Johnson was tapped to lead the movie side. It's a smart hire on their part. Johnson is a genuinely talented filmmaker, and his resume goes beyond "BlackBerry" and "Nirvana." He broke out with the NASA conspiracy satire "Operation Avalanche," and most recently directed A24's breezy Anthony Bourdain biopic "Tony," starring Dominic Sessa, which turned out to be one of the late-summer gems of the year.

The man doesn't slow down, either. Back in September, he shot yet another movie, this one starring Finn Wolfhard ("Stranger Things") as a Canadian investigative journalist. It's inspired by real events involving a Vice editor who allegedly recruited drug mules for an international cocaine trafficking operation, some of it reportedly run out of the media company's own offices.

That's the thing about Johnson. He's built a reputation on stylized, comedy-leaning, semi-fictionalized true stories. "Magic: The Gathering" is about as far from that as you can get — fantasy IP with decades of lore, a rabid fanbase, and a studio looking to build a franchise. Can he make it work?

I know, directors who jump from indie to IP almost never results in great cinema, but word is that Johnson went to Legendary and Hasbro, pitched his idea, and they loved it. Here's hoping Legendary lets Johnson be himself, but I'm sure there will be some shackling involved.