Sadie Sink & Tina Fey's Upcoming Movie Based On 73-Year-Old Tragic Story Gets Major Production Update

5 days ago 9

Published Jan 29, 2026, 6:03 PM EST

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Stranger Things star Sadie Sink is teaming up with Tina Fey for a movie adaptation of John Proctor is the Villain, and a major production update was just revealed. Sink recently wrapped up the final season of the pop culture phenomenon Stranger Things.

Before the series ended, she starred on Broadway as Shelby Holcomb in the play John Proctor is the Villain, which earned her a Tony nomination.

Universal is currently developing a big-screen adaptation, and Deadline is now reporting that Danya Taymor, the Broadway play's director, has signed on to direct the movie.

Kimberly Belflower, who wrote the script of the Broadway production, is already on board as screenwriter. The producing team includes Sink, Fey, Eric Gurian, Marc Platt, Adam Siegel and Jared LeBoff.

John Proctor is the Villain tells the story of high school students who study the classic play The Crucible by Arthur Miller in the #MeToo era and realize that John Proctor is not as heroic of a character as he seems to be at first glance.

Miller's The Crucible debuted on Broadway in 1953 and centered around the Salem witch trials in the 1600s. Proctor faces a moral dilemma when his wife, Elizabeth Proctor, is accused of witchcraft, and he must decide whether to reveal the truth about Abigail Williams, who launched a crusade against numerous people in Salem with baseless accusations of witchcraft.

The original production of The Crucible won four Tonys, including Best Play, Best Author, Best Producer of a Play and Best Featured Actress in a Play (Beatrice Straight).

Over seven decades later, John Proctor is the Villain debuted on Broadway following off-Broadway runs in Washington, DC, and Boston. Stranger Things season 5 had already finished filming by that point, so Sink was able to devote her full attention to John Proctor for the four months she was a part of the company. The play closed in September 2025.

At the 2025 Tony Awards, John Proctor is the Villain was nominated in seven categories: Best Play, Best Actress in a Play (Sink), Best Featured Actress in a Play (Fina Strazza), Best Featured Actor in a Play (Gabriel Ebert), Best Direction of a Play, Best Lighting Design of a Play and Best Sound Design of a Play.

Aside from Stranger Things, Sink's screen credits include Fear Street Part Two: 1978, Fear Street Part Three: 1666, The Whale and American Odyssey.

Following her Broadway role in 2025, she's heading back to the stage this spring for a West End production of Romeo & Juliet. She can also be seen in the upcoming film Spider-Man: Brand New Day (in theaters on July 31), though the identity of her character is still a mystery.

Amid her busy acting career, the Stranger Things star is also now working alongside Fey on the cinematic version of John Proctor is the Villain. While a release date hasn't been announced yet, Taymor joining the film as the director means that the development process has moved one giant step forward in making the adaptation a reality.