“The Housemaid” star Sydney Sweeney and director Paul Feig did something bad, and it felt so good that Lionsgate is going to let them do it again.
Thanks to the box office success of the psychological thriller — “The Housemaid” has grossed $133 million in its first two-and-a-half weeks of release — the studio has greenlit a sequel movie, titled “The Housemaid’s Secret.” The project, based on the second novel in Freida McFadden’s best-selling trilogy, has been in development for the past few months, and Lionsgate is planning a production start for later this year with Feig and stars Sweeney and Michele Morrone returning.
In “The Housemaid,” Sweeney starred as Millie, a young woman trying to escape her past, who is recruited to work as a live-in housemaid for the wealthy Nina (Amanda Seyfried) and Andrew Winchester (Brandon Skelnar), who have dangerous secrets of their own. Morrone plays Enzo, the Winchesters’ groundskeeper, who becomes an important ally to Millie. Elizabeth Perkins also stars in the R-rated film, which has earned an impressive $75.7 million in North America and $133 million worldwide against a $35 million budget. Taylor Swift’s “Reputation” track, “I Did Something Bad,” features in the end credits as the movie teases Millie’s next steps.
“It’s clear from both the global box office and from the outpouring on social media that audiences have responded strongly — and audibly — to the totally unique and truly theatrical experience of The Housemaid and want to know what happens next,” Adam Fogelson, Lionsgate’s motion picture group chair, said in a statement announcing the greenlight.
“We believed in these stories from the very beginning, and we are beyond excited to bring the next chapter of Millie’s story to life on-screen in collaboration with our outstanding creative partners Todd, Paul, Laura, Carly, Alex, and Sydney,” Fogelson continued. “‘The Housemaid’s Secret’ is another wildly thrilling book in Freida’s series that has captivated readers worldwide, and we look forward to translating it into a similarly rousing and riotous moviegoing experience.”
Screenwriter Rebecca Sonnenshine will return to adapt the sequel for producers Hidden Pictures’ Todd Lieberman and Pretty Dangerous Pictures’ Feig and Laura Fischer. Sweeney and McFadden return as executive producers alongside Hidden Pictures’ Carly Elter and Alex Young.
“It’s been thrilling to see audiences around the world fall in love with ‘The Housemaid’ and the incredible work of our talented cast and crew,” stated Feig. “We’re lucky that Freida McFadden has already extended Millie’s journey on the page, and that we get to work with Rebecca Sonnenshine and Lionsgate to bring this next story to audiences.”
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Added Lieberman: “We’re thrilled with the reception and incredibly proud of this entire team from Freida McFadden to our partners at Lionsgate, and the outstanding work of Paul and Laura. Most rewarding has been seeing how strongly audiences are connecting with the film.”
At the Palm Springs International Film Festival, Seyfried confirmed that a sequel was all but guaranteed.
“No one’s said anything about No. 2, but I guarantee there will be No. 2,” Seyfried told Variety’s Marc Malkin on Saturday. “And I almost guarantee that I’m gonna be some small cameo in it, because it’s about Syd and her working for a new family. And there’s so much that happens, especially with Michele’s character Enzo,” she explained. “I really wanna see how she keeps Nina Winchester in her pocket, because I will jump the fuck back into that.”
The sequel will be overseen by Lionsgate’s Chelsea Kujawa, who also oversaw the first film and brought the project into the studio, alongside Maria Ascanio. Robert Melnik negotiated the deals for the studio.
“The Housemaid” book series has sold over 12 million units, with the second book accounting for four million of those. Translated into 40 languages, the first book has been a New York Times bestseller for 65 weeks and won the 2023 Goodreads Choice Award for best thriller.
Sonnenshine is represented by UTA, Circle Management + Production, Jill Fritzo PR and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman, Newman, Warren, Richman, Rush, Kaller, Gellman, Meigs & Fox. McFadden is represented by Christina Hogrebe of Jane Rotrosen Agency; Angela Cheng Caplan of Cheng Caplan Company; and Allison Binder of Goodman Genow Schenkman Smelkinson + Christopher.
From Variety US