Kirsten Dunst Joins Sydney Sweeney in...
Locked Doors and Darker Secrets: Kirsten Dunst Joins Sydney Sweeney in ‘The Housemaid’s Secret’
HOLLYWOOD, CA — The "Housemaid" cinematic universe is expanding with a heavy-hitting addition. Lionsgate officially announced on Monday that Academy Award nominee and industry icon Kirsten Dunst (The Power of the Dog, Civil War) has joined the cast of The Housemaid’s Secret, the highly anticipated sequel to the 2025 box office juggernaut.
Dunst will star opposite Sydney Sweeney, who is set to reprise her role as the resourceful yet enigmatic Millie Calloway. The news comes as the first film, released in December 2025, continues its impressive global run, currently sitting at a staggering $396 million (appox $295 million GBP) worldwide.
The Mysterious Mrs. Garrick
While Lionsgate has kept specific plot twists under lock and key, the studio confirmed that Dunst will portray Wendy Garrick, the new "employer" at the center of the sequel’s mystery. According to the film’s official logline, the story adapted from Freida McFadden’s second bestselling novel, sees Millie taking a job in a household where she is strictly forbidden from seeing the woman of the house.
“It is a privilege to bring The Housemaid’s next chapter to the screen with Kirsten Dunst,” said Erin Westerman, President of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group. “She is an icon whose career reflects extraordinary range. Opposite the ever-magnetic Sydney Sweeney, she will be an electrifying force in a world where nothing is ever quite as it seems.”
A Proven Creative Team Reassembles
Fans of the first film can breathe a sigh of relief as the core creative engine remains intact. Paul Feig (A Simple Favor) returns to the director’s chair, with screenwriter Rebecca Sonnenshine once again tasked with translating McFadden’s twisty prose for the big screen.
[Table: ‘The Housemaid’s Secret’ Production Overview]
| Category | Detail |
| Director | Paul Feig |
| Lead Stars | Sydney Sweeney & Kirsten Dunst |
| Returning Cast | Michele Morrone (Enzo Accardi) |
| Source Material | The Housemaid’s Secret by Freida McFadden |
| Production Start | Fall 2026 |
| Executive Producer | Sydney Sweeney (Fifty-Fifty Films) |
The "Sweeney Era" Continues
For Sweeney, the sequel marks another victory in a year defined by career highs. Beyond her starring role, she is also returning as an executive producer under her Fifty-Fifty Films banner. During a brief appearance at the 98th Academy Awards last week, director Paul Feig teased that the sequel script is currently undergoing final polishes to "up the ante" on the psychological stakes.
“We started writing the sequel before the first one even came out,” producer Todd Lieberman recently revealed, noting that the studio recognized the franchise potential early on.
What About Amanda Seyfried?
While Michele Morrone is confirmed to return as the Italian groundskeeper Enzo, the fate of Amanda Seyfried’s Nina Winchester remains the subject of feverish speculation. Although Nina does not appear in the second book, Seyfried recently told Variety she would "jump the f*** back in" for a cameo, hinting that Nina might still have a few cards left to play.
Principal photography for The Housemaid’s Secret is slated to begin this autumn, with a theatrical release tentatively expected for late 2027.
