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After doing something deliciously bad and watching audiences happily lean into it, The Housemaid team, Sydney Sweeney, and Paul Feig, are officially running it back. Following the film’s rapid-fire box office success, Lionsgate has greenlit a sequel titled The Housemaid’s Secret, with plans to begin production later this year.
The psychological steamy thriller has proven to be one of the most crowd-pleasing surprises of the year, pulling in an impressive $133 million worldwide in just two and a half weeks of release. Against a reported $35 million budget, the R-rated hit has become a textbook example of smart, female-skewing counterprogramming that audiences are clearly hungry for. Of that total, $75.7 million comes from North America alone, with international markets continuing to show strong legs.
In The Housemaid, Sweeney stars as Millie, a young woman attempting to outrun her past who accepts a live-in housemaid job for wealthy couple Nina and Andrew Winchester, played by Amanda Seyfried and Brandon Sklenar. What begins as an uneasy domestic arrangement quickly unravels into a stylish, twisty thriller full of shifting power dynamics and carefully rationed reveals. Michele Morrone appears as Enzo, the Winchesters’ groundskeeper and an unexpected ally to Millie, while Elizabeth Perkins rounds out the supporting cast.
The sequel will be based on the second novel in Freida McFadden’s best-selling trilogy, which has already been quietly in development for several months. Screenwriter Rebecca Sonnenshine is returning to adapt the follow-up, with Feig producing once again through Pretty Dangerous Pictures alongside Laura Fischer. Todd Lieberman produces via Hidden Pictures, with Sweeney and McFadden back as executive producers.
Lionsgate motion picture group chair Adam Fogelson praised the audience response in a statement announcing the greenlight, pointing to both the global box office and the loud social media reaction as proof that viewers want more of Millie’s story. The end credits needle drop of Taylor Swift’s “I Did Something Bad” felt less like a wink and more like a mission statement, teasing that Millie’s next chapter would not be quieter or safer.
Feig echoed that sentiment, noting how rare it is to have a built-in continuation waiting on the page. He credited McFadden’s novels and Sonnenshine’s adaptation for giving the creative team a clear runway to expand Millie’s journey without losing what made the first film crackle.
There is also potential for familiar faces to return. Seyfried recently said she would love to reprise her role if the story allows, which feels very on brand for a franchise built on secrets, misdirection, and the promise that no door ever stays fully closed.
With The Housemaid’s Secret, Lionsgate is betting that audiences are more than ready to see just how much trouble Millie gets into next.
Why The Housemaid’s Secret Could Be Even Bigger
With The Housemaid’s Secret, the sequel is positioned to capitalize on everything that worked the first time while expanding the scope of Millie’s story in ways audiences are already eager to see. The box office trajectory suggests word of mouth is still building, and the familiarity of the characters, combined with a darker, more confident follow-up, could push the sequel even higher. For Sydney Sweeney, the franchise potential is especially notable.
If the series continues beyond this installment, The Housemaid could mark her first true film franchise as a leading star, anchoring a character-driven thriller saga built around her screen presence. In an industry constantly chasing IP, The Housemaid’s Secret feels less like a rushed sequel and more like the natural next step for a breakout hit that has quietly become one of the year’s most exciting theatrical success stories.
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