When it hit theaters last December, the Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried starring The Housemaid was a surprise box office hit with the adaptation of the Freida McFadden novel of the same name grossing a solid $400 million at the box office on a $35 million budget. A sequel to the thriller, The Housemaid’s Secret, was quickly greenlit with Sweeney returning and set to be joined by Kirsten Dunst. Now the sequel has added another name to the cast and it’s one that television fans are going to be very excited about.
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According to Deadline, Paul Anthony Kelly has officially joined the cast of The Housemaid’s Secret. Kelly is the breakout star of FX’s Love Story where he portrayed John F. Kennedy Jr. In The Housemaid’s Secret, Kelly will play Douglas Garrick, the billionaire husband of Wendy, played by Dunst, and the new employer of Sweeney’s housemaid, Millie. The film is Kelly’s feature film debut. Paul Feig will return to direct the film which is expected to open in theaters on December 17, 2027.
The Housemaid Is Shaping Up to Be the Next Big Film Franchise (But There’s One Challenge)
News of Kelly’s casting is sure to thrill fans who loved his turn in Love Story. Kelly was a fan favorite in his role as JFK Jr., a role that even led to some significant fan casting for major franchise characters—a popular fancast being that of Bruce Wayne for DC. However, outside of the casting for The Housemaid’s Secret, we could very well be seeing the development of Hollywood’s next big film franchise. For those who are not big readers or active on BookTok, McFadden is a wildly popular author and her Housemaid series is particularly popular among fans. The series consists of three books—The Housemaid, The Housemaid’s Secret, and The Housemaid is Watching—along with a digital short story, The Housemaid’s Wedding.
While the story is done in terms of the books, as McFadden has confirmed that the story arc is complete following the third book, we are only just getting started with the movies. The Housemaid was a major box office success and if the sequel can pull off similar success, it feels like a given that the third book and maybe even the short story could get their own screen adaptations as well. That said, there is already one big challenge facing The Housemaid’s Secret. As it currently stands, the film is set to open in theaters against Avengers: Secret Wars. Given the magnitude and massive popularity of the MCU, any movie opening in theaters against the Avengers is going to have a big box office fight on their hands and if we had to put our bets on anyone, well, it wouldn’t be the Housemaid.
That said, it’s always possible that The Housemaid’s Secret could end up having a release date change. The film hasn’t yet entered production, though is expected to begin at some point this year. Literally anything could happen between now and then so fans will just have to see exactly how things play out.
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