‘The Housemaid’ Franchise Expands With Stage Show After Hit Sydney Sweeney Movie

From page to screen to stage… Lionsgate is turning “The Housemaid,” the best-seller turned box-office hit, into a play.

The sexy psychological thriller, based on the novel by Freida McFadden, is being developed for the stage by producers Melting Pot, a British company led by Simon Friend and Hanna Osmolska (Broadway’s “Life of Pi” and “Paranormal Activity”) and playwright Bekah Brunstetter (Broadway’s “The Notebook”). The production timeline is unclear.

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This production is Lionsgate’s latest expansion of “The Housemaid” franchise. A sequel film, “The Housemaid’s Secret,” is expected to start production later this year with plans for theatrical release on Dec. 17, 2027. That’s after “The Housemaid,” starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, became a sleeper success with $400 million at the global box office. Lionsgate spent just $35 million to produce the first movie, which means it’s wildly profitable for the studio.

“The Housemaid” follows a young woman with a mysterious past who is hired as the live-in maid for a very wealthy family. But the husband and wife’s picture-perfect life isn’t exactly what it seems. The stage version will be based on the novel and movie, which are pretty similar though the endings vary slightly.

“’The Housemaid’ has all the elements for a successful stage adaptation – a blockbuster title, compelling characters, and a story full of twists and turns that builds tension and momentum in a way that naturally lends itself to the stage,” said Lionsgate’s president of global products and experiences Jenefer Brown. “This project reflects how our hit films and IP can be transformed into novel experiences.”

As Brown mentions, “The Housemaid” is the latest movie that Lionsgate is expanding beyond the screen. There are stage versions of “Dirty Dancing,” “La La Land” and “Wonder” in the works, while a play based on “The Hunger Games” is currently on London’s West End.

With the stage version of “The Housemaid,” Friend wants to “heighten its intensity.” The movie became a crowd-pleaser because some of the campier elements and jump-scares were fun to experience with crowds.

“When I first read ‘The Housemaid,’ it was exhilarating,” Friend said. “What occurred to me is how truly theatrical the story is, not only happening largely in a single, claustrophobic location, but the twisty elements which contemporize what has long worked in potboiler stage thrillers.”

Brunstetter added: “I’m so thrilled to be bringing this gripping, emotional, strange, and even funny story to the stage. Not only have I fallen in love with the adaptation process and bringing books to life on both stage and screen, I’m extremely excited to dig into ‘The Housemaid’s’ incredibly universal themes of jealousy, the pain of desire, and the traumas that connect us.”