The Housemaid and her secrets are about to get exposed with this casting update.
Director Paul Feig’s adaptation of Freida McFadden’s best-selling novel The Housemaid became a surprising success, grossing nearly $400 million worldwide at the box office. Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried starred alongside each other in the R-rated thriller, where Sweeney’s character, Millie, is an ex-convict and gets hired by the seemingly perfect and extremely wealthy Winchester family run by the matriarch, Nina (played by Seyfried).
Kirsten Dunst will be joining Sweeney and Seyfried in the sequel, The Housemaid’s Secret. Feig will also be returning to direct the project, as well as screenwriter Rebecca Sonnenshine, who adapted McFadden’s first novel. The Housemaid’s Secret shows Millie in a new job with the wealthy and secretive Garrick family, as she suspects the wife, Wendy, is being abused by her husband, Douglas. While Dunst’s character is being kept quiet, it wouldn’t be surprising if she were cast as Wendy Garrick.
“In The Housemaid’s Secret, Millie returns, taking a job keeping house for a woman she’s never allowed to see—only to discover the truth behind the locked door that threatens to expose secrets far darker than her own.”
During the Oscars, Feig gave an important filming update for The Housemaid’s Secret and stated that “we will start shooting in the fall.” Meaning fans will get to see even more chaos sooner than they realized. President of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, Erin Westerman, made a statement following the news that Dunst would be joining the R-rated thriller’s sequel:
“It is a privilege to bring The Housemaid’s next chapter to the screen with Kirsten Dunst. She is an icon. Her career reflects extraordinary range and fearlessness. Opposite the ever-magnetic Sydney Sweeney, she will be an electrifying force in a world where nothing is ever quite as it seems.”
The Housemaid is a psychological thriller that was met with strong praise and a steady Rotten Tomatoes rating of 73% from critics and a near-perfect 92% rating from the audience. Critics stated that the adaptation was “so faithful” to the original book and certainly delivers an “emotional rollercoaster.” ScreenRant‘s Graeme Guttman stated that Seyfried’s performance brings “sheer manic energy” to the guilty pleasure this movie is.
Dunst, known for Marie Antoinette, Spider-Man, Bring It On, and Jumanji, has had an extremely successful career with her latest role being in Roofman alongside Channing Tatum. It was also recently announced that Dunst would be joining the cast of A Minecraft Movie‘s sequel as Alex, and she also has two more projects lined up, including Rhubarb and The Entertainment System Is Down.
The Housemaid’s Secret release date has yet to be announced, but The Housemaid will be available to stream on Starz from April 1.
- Director
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Paul Feig
- Writers
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Rebecca Sonnenshine
- Producers
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Todd Lieberman, Paul Feig, Laura Fischer