Mystery Island: Play For Keeps
We’re back on Mystery Island – aka the deadliest vacation destination Hallmark’s ever dreamed up. This time around, the tropical getaway doubles as a corporate retreat, complete with awkward team-building exercises, an ex-fiancé lurking in the buffet line, and oh yeah…another dead guest. Honestly, how many bodies have to pile up before people stop RSVPing to Mystery Island? Elizabeth Henstridge and Charlie Weber star in Mystery Island: Play For Keeps – a twisty cocktail of romance, suspicion, and more HR violations than we can count.
Mystery Island: Play For Keeps premieres on Hallmark Channel on Sunday August 17, 2025 (and is available to stream on Hallmark+).
The Curious Case of the Missing Premiere
Mystery Island: Play for Keeps was originally slated to premiere in June 2025 on Hallmark Mystery. But just before its debut, the movie quietly vanished from the schedule.
Online sleuths on fan forums and Reddit speculated this could point to bigger moves at Hallmark ranging from a simple programming shuffle to the rumored phasing out of the Hallmark Mystery network altogether .
With its debut on Hallmark Channel, it seems safe to assume that fresh mystery premieres on Hallmark Mystery may be a thing of the past.
About Mystery Island: Play For Keeps (Hallmark Channel – 2025)
- Mystery Island: Play For Keeps comes from director Steven R. Monroe, a familiar face both to this franchise and to Hallmark. Monroe previously helmed Mystery Island: Winner Takes All, as well as fan favorites Five Gold Rings and Love to the Rescue.
- John Christian Plummer is Hallmark’s resident mystery-writing extraordinaire. The creative force behind Mystery 101 and Curious Caterer, he’s back at it again, penning another twist-filled installment for the Mystery Island franchise.
- Elizabeth Henstridge is back as Dr. Emilia Priestley. With 21 acting credits to her name, Hallmark fans will recognize her from Christmas at the Plaza, while Marvel fans know her best from her long-running role on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
- Charlie Weber returns as Jason Trent. With over 50 acting credits, he’s best known for his role as Frank Delfino on How to Get Away with Murder and has appeared in fan favorites like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Underemployed.
- Kezia Burrows also returns as Baroness Jane Alcott. With nearly 90 acting credits, she’s a familiar face to international audiences from projects like Doctors and Crash.
- Ben McKeown takes on the role of Simons. With just six acting credits so far, Mystery Island: Play For Keeps marks his Hallmark debut.
- Nisha Aaliya joins the cast as Patricia. With 21 acting credits to her name, this marks her very first Hallmark project.
- Barney White steps into the role of Mickey. A newcomer to Hallmark, he brings 28 acting credits, including appearances in Professor T and The Couple Next Door.
- Suanne Braun appears as Morgan Bennett. With 41 acting credits, she’s perhaps best known as Mrs. Donatelli from The Princess Switch franchise.
- Kris Mochrie plays Franklin. A newcomer to Hallmark, he brings 21 acting credits, including a notable role on Emmerdale Farm.
- Emily Eaton-Plowright takes on the role of Ainsley. A fresh face to Hallmark, she has 15 acting credits to her name.
- Victoria Bolt joins the cast as another Hallmark newcomer, with just nine acting credits so far.
- The film was shot at the Villa Bonita mansion in Panama, located in the coastal area of Playa Bonita.
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