Kirsten Dunst is set to star alongside Sydney Sweeney in “The Housemaid’s Secret” at Lionsgate, the studio announced Monday.
The first film was a global smash hit and has taken in nearly $400 million worldwide.
“It is a privilege to bring ‘The Housemaid’s’ next chapter to the screen with Kirsten Dunst. She is an icon,” Erin Westerman, president, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, said in a statement. “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.”
Paul Feig will return to direct the project, as will the producers: Hidden Pictures’ Todd Lieberman; Feig, who produces through his Pretty Dangerous Pictures, and his partner, Laura Fischer; and Sweeney, through her Fifty-Fifty Films banner.
Screenwriter Rebecca Sonnenshine, who adapted the first book, will also return to write “The Housemaid’s Secret,” based on the bestseller by Freida McFadden.
Michele Morrone will also return to star as Enzo, reprising his role from the first film. Carly Elter, who oversaw the first movie for Hidden Pictures, is returning as executive producer. Alex Young of Hidden Pictures will also executive produce. Fifty-Fifty’s Kaylee McGregor will co-produce.
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.
Chelsea Kujawa and Maria Ascanio are overseeing the project for Lionsgate. Robert Melnik brokered the deal on behalf of the studio.
Dunst also recently booked the role of Alex in “The Minecraft Movie” sequel. Dunst most recently starred in “Roofman,” “Civil War” and “Power of the Dog” and will next be seen in Ruben Östlund’s “The Entertainment System Is Down.” She is repped by Entertainment 360, United Talent Agency, and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman, Newman, Warren, Richman, Rush, Kaller, Gellman, Meigs & Fox, LLP.
