Everything We Know About the Film Adaptation of Freida McFadden’s ‘The Housemaid’
Freida McFadden has been a prolific author since self-publishing her first novel in 2013, steadily building a following with her addictive, twist-filled psychological thrillers. Her books have topped numerous bestseller lists over the past decade, and now one of them is finally headed to the big screen, with a movie adaptation of 2022’s The Housemaid. The novel about a mysterious young woman hired as the housekeeper for an equally mysterious couple and their young daughter is the first in a series, followed by The Housemaid’s Secret and The Housemaid Is Watching.
There isn’t much information yet about the film version of The Housemaid, which was announced in October by Lionsgate. No release date has been set, and production has yet to begin, but the key members of the creative team are in place.
McFadden will be an executive producer, which should help ensure that her vision for the story will be taken into account, although veteran TV writer Rebecca Sonnenshine (The Vampire Diaries, The Boys) is handling the screenplay. Paul Feig, who’s still best known for comedies like Bridesmaids and The Heat, has been tapped to direct.
The biggest news about The Housemaid, though, is the pair of big-name movie stars leading the cast. Euphoria breakout star Sydney Sweeney, fresh off box-office hits Anyone but You and Immaculate, will play Millie Calloway, who is running from a dark past when she takes a seemingly promising job in the home of the Winchester family. Oscar nominee Amanda Seyfried (Mank, Mamma Mia!, The Dropout) will play Nina Winchester, Millie’s demanding employer.
Brandon Sklenar rounds out the main cast as Nina’s husband Andrew, who may be forming an intimate connection with Millie. Although he doesn’t have the name recognition of his co-stars, Sklenar has been working steadily on TV shows like 1923, and he recently played a major role in the massively successful film version of Colleen Hoover’s It Ends With Us.
Like other McFadden books, The Housemaid got a significant boost via BookTok, the community of readers on TikTok, and her devoted fans are likely to have very specific ideas about what a film adaptation should look like. Although no one involved in the movie has commented on the exact approach they’re taking, it might be illuminating to look to the last movie that Feig directed based on a popular thriller novel, 2018’s A Simple Favor.
Feig and screenwriter Jessica Sharzer made a dark, deadpan comedy out of Darcey Bell’s book, which led to critical acclaim, box-office success, and a planned sequel. It’s possible that Feig will take a similar approach to The Housemaid, which might not be what fans are hoping for. Then again, he’s since delivered a much more faithful adaptation of Soman Chainani’s The School for Good and Evil, so he may just play things straight.
Either way, it will be a while before readers have the chance to see what Feig and his collaborators have come up with. Since production hasn’t started and only a few cast members have been announced, the movie isn’t likely to hit theaters until late 2025 at the earliest. Once it does, though, there’s plenty of material for Lionsgate to draw on if the studio plans to launch a franchise — plus plenty of other standalone McFadden novels that are tailor-made to be brought to life onscreen.
Discover the Book
I try to ignore how Nina makes a mess just to watch me clean it up. How she tells strange lies about her own daughter. And how her husband Andrew seems more broken every day. But as I look into Andrew’s handsome brown eyes, so full of pain, it’s hard not to imagine what it would be like to live Nina’s life. The walk-in closet, the fancy car, the perfect husband.
I only try on one of Nina’s pristine white dresses once. Just to see what it’s like. But she soon finds out… and by the time I realize my attic bedroom door only locks from the outside, it’s far too late.
But I reassure myself: the Winchesters don’t know who I really am.
They don’t know what I’m capable of…
By clicking 'Sign Up,' I acknowledge that I have read and agree to Hachette Book Group’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
