From the page to the screen to the stage… Lionsgate adapts the bestseller-turned-box-office smash, The Housemaid.
The sexy psychological thriller, based on the novel by Frieda McFadden, is being developed for the stage by British production company Melting Pot, led by Simon Friend and Hanna Osmolska (Broadway’s “Life of Pi” and “Paranormal Activity”) and playwright Bekah Branstetter (Broadway’s “The Notebook”). The production date is unknown.
This is the latest expansion of Lionsgate’s Housemaid series. The sequel, The Housemaid’s Secret, is scheduled to begin production later this year and be released in theaters on December 17, 2027. This comes after The Housemaid, starring Sidney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, was a huge success, grossing $400 million worldwide. Lionsgate spent just $35 million to make the first film, making it a huge profit for the studio.
“The Housemaid” follows a young woman with a mysterious past who is hired as a live-in maid for an extremely wealthy family. But the couple’s picture-perfect life is not as it seems. The stage version is based on the novel and the movie, which are quite similar, although the ending is slightly different.
“The Housemaid has all the ingredients for a successful stage adaptation: a blockbuster title, compelling characters, and a story full of twists and turns that creates tension and momentum that are naturally suited to the stage,” said Jenifer Brown, Lionsgate’s president of global products and experiences. “This project reflects how our hit films and IP are translated into new experiences.”
As Brown mentioned, “The Housemaid” is the latest film Lionsgate is expanding beyond the screen. Stage adaptations of “Dirty Dancing,” “La La Land,” and “Wonder” are in the works, and a play based on “The Hunger Games” is currently playing in London’s West End.
Friend wants to “increase that intensity” with the stage version of “House Maid.” Directed by Paul Feig, the film became a crowd pleaser as some of the campy elements and jump scares were fun to experience with the crowd.
“When I first read ‘The Housemaid,’ it was so exhilarating,” said a friend. “What struck me was how truly theatrical this story is. Not only does it largely take place in a single, claustrophobic location, but it also includes meandering elements that modernize what has worked for years in potboiler stage thrillers.”
Director Branstetter added, “I’m so excited to bring this fascinating, emotional, strange, and funny story to the stage. I’ve fallen in love with the adaptation process and am so excited to not only bring the book to life on both stage and screen, but also explore The Housemaid’s incredibly universal themes of jealousy, the pain of desire, and the trauma that connects us.”
