Sydney Sweeney's R-Rated Thriller Hit Gets Sequel Plot Details, Location, & Doubled Budget

Sydney Sweeney’s The Housemaid sequel is already getting a major expansion, with new details revealing a bigger budget, an expanded setting, and a more ambitious story.

Released earlier this year, The Housemaid adapted Freida McFadden’s best-selling novel of the same name. The story follows Millie (Sweeney), a struggling young woman who lands a seemingly perfect job as a live-in housemaid for wealthy couple Nina (Amanda Seyfried) and Andrew Winchester (Brandon Sklenar). However, what initially appears to be a fresh start slowly unravels into something far more sinister as Millie begins uncovering disturbing secrets inside the family’s home.

According to Deadline, Lionsgate is currently pre-selling The Housemaid's Secret at Cannes, with the follow-up reportedly carrying a budget in the $70–80 million range, roughly double the budget of the first movie. The project is also aiming to begin filming by the end of the year, suggesting the studio is moving quickly to capitalize on the first film’s momentum.

Lionsgate's President of International Helen Lee-Kim talked about the film and how it expands the world of the first installment, acknowledging that the sequel is a much bigger canvas. Read her comments below:

It’s an expansion of the world from the first film. The second book is even twistier and it’ll be a more unexpected movie. It’ll be structured a little differently. We’re aiming to be filming by year’s end. The whole creative team is back, as are Sydney [Sweeney] and Michele Morrone who has a bigger role in the second film. Kirsten [Dunst] is aboard, and then we have two other fun male roles that we’re casting now.

Based on McFadden’s second novel in The Housemaid series, The Housemaid’s Secret will reportedly expand the story’s scope in a major way. While the original movie largely centered on a contained domestic setting, the sequel moves into a much larger world, with locations spanning a New York penthouse, an upstate residence, and broader elements of the city itself.

In recent years, Sweeney has steadily become one of Hollywood’s most in-demand stars, balancing prestige television work with genre-heavy films and mainstream studio projects. Following breakout performances in Euphoria and The White Lotus, the actor leaned into more dramatic roles, helping position herself as one of the most bankable young stars working today. Her latest success came with The Housemaid, which made over $401 million worldwide against a $35 million budget.

The sequel’s bigger budget reflects Lionsgate’s ambition. Psychological thrillers rarely receive production budgets approaching blockbuster territory, making The Housemaid’s Secret stand out even more within the genre. The increased spending suggests the company sees serious franchise potential in the property, particularly with Sweeney continuing to rise as a box office draw.

The Housemaid’s Secret is also bringing back much of the original creative team. According to Lee-Kim, Sweeney and Michele Morrone are both set to return, with Morrone expected to have a significantly larger role this time around. Kirsten Dunst is also confirmed to star, while the production is still casting two additional major male roles.

Between its doubled budget, expanded locations, and promises of an even twistier story, The Housemaid’s Secret is shaping up to be much more than a standard follow-up. More importantly, it suggests Lionsgate believes Sweeney’s R-rated thriller hit may have the potential to become something much bigger.

With filming expected to begin by the end of the year and international sales already underway, Lionsgate seems eager to keep the momentum of The Housemaid going.

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  The Housemaid

  

  7/10

  Release Date December 19, 2025

  Runtime 131 Minutes

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  The Housemaid's Secret

  Release Date December 17, 2027

  Director Paul Feig

  Writers Rebecca Sonnenshine

  Producers Todd Lieberman, Paul Feig, Laura Fischer