It is with sheer joy that we welcome the news of the movie adaptation of the novel A Stage Set for Villains by Shannon J. Spann. What better way to enjoy a dark, theatrical fantasy literary work than to see it brought to life on the big screen?
In February 2026, it was announced that Amazon MGM Studios had officially acquired the film rights to A Stage Set for Villains. Author Shannon J. Spann confirmed the news on social media while excitedly asking fans to share their casting opinions.
Given that this was her debut novel, this acquisition is a significant feat for her. She is currently working on her second novel.
A Stage Set for Villains has achieved great commercial success, with the novel debuting at number one on the New York Times Young Adult Hardcover bestseller list in its opening week.
Although it was just released on February 3rd, it has already got a massive fan following and is trending on BookTok and other social media platforms.
What will be the Plot of A Stage Set for Villains Movie?
Fans of the book were impressed by its theatrical format, the moral ambiguity of the characters, and the mind-blowing plot twists.
Many said that the story felt like a play within a play and pictured a live performance as they read it.
The film is expected to embrace the source material’s “meta” style by sticking to its unique structure, which resembles a play—divided into Acts and Scenes with script-like dialogue tags. Many fans have argued that the novel is the perfect source material for a film and are excited to see how well everything will translate on the big screen.
The movie will follow the story of Riven Hesper, who lives in a world where the gods are dead and have been replaced by Players—powerful performers who govern from a magical Playhouse.
To free herself from a curse, Riven joins a dangerous competition at the Playhouse to steal a player’s immortality and save her life. She strikes a deal with Jude, the Lead Player, but as she soon realises, nothing is what it seems in the Playhouse.
If you haven’t yet read the book, here’s the official synopsis so you know exactly what to expect from the book and the upcoming movie adaptation:
The gods are dead. All that’s left are the Players…
The performers of the Playhouse are as worshipped as they are feared, their enchanting shows bending hearts, minds, and even reality itself. Vicious, godlike, lethal. Eighteen-year-old Riven Hesper knows the dangers better than anyone, after her own encounter with a Player resulted in a curse that is slowly killing her.
When the Playhouse announces the spectacle of a lifetime—a chance for one mortal to steal a Player’s immortality—Riven sees her last chance to live. Desperate for answers, she infiltrates the competition. There, she finds Jude, the Playhouse’s brilliant, merciless Lead Player, whose charm is as dangerous as his Craft, and strikes a deadly bargain to save her life.
But with time running out and the Playhouse’s secrets unravelling into a disturbing picture, Riven faces a grim possibility: she might not be the hero of her story after all. In fact, she may be the villain.
Because the Playhouse doesn’t just tell stories. It rewrites them.
And Riven’s might end in blood.
Casting & Production Updates:
It has been announced that Liz Pelletier and Sherryl Clark will produce the feature film under their Premeditated banner. Cayla Tyne, Director of Development at Premeditated, will oversee the project’s creative development.
Shannon will be participating in the early development phase of the project. However, it is unclear if she will serve as a producer or screenwriter.
It is too early to know anything about the cast, but we will keep you in the loop as soon as we have more information.
A Stage Set for Villains Movie Release Date:
If the early development phase goes smoothly, we can expect filming to start in early 2027. Given that this is a major fantasy adaptation, it will require extensive post-production for visual effects. The anticipated premiere will most likely be in early 2028.
But this is just speculation because books are acquired all the time for an adaptation, and they never progress to the filming stage.
So, let’s hope that doesn’t happen with Shannon J. Spann’s A Stage Set for Villains because this is a great book and would work really well as a movie!
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