The Housemaid's Secret will be more twisted than the first film as Sydney Sweeney sequel gets release date

The Housemaid has become an undeniable box office sensation since its release over Christmas.

The erotic thriller, led by Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, has already grossed almost $300 million, with industry analysts predicting it could cross $400 million by the end of its run.

With a modest budget of just $35million, The Housemaid is not only one of the biggest hits in recent years, but it is also the highest-grossing film of both Sweeney and director Paul Feig's careers. 

A sequel is already in development with Feig at the helm, with Variety reporting that the 'intention' is to shoot this year so that it can be rushed into theaters by 2027.

Penning a script for the sequel, titled The Housemaid's Secret, should not be too hard, considering that the films are based on the best-selling book series from Freida McFadden.

In fact, according to Business Insider, screenwriter Rebecca Sonnenshine had already finished the script for the sequel by the time that The Housemaid was blowing up the box office.

Sweeney is confirmed to return for The Housemaid's Secret, reprising her role as Millie Calloway.

The Housemaid's Secret will also feature more of Michele Morrone's character Enzo, who played the brooding landscaper in the first film. 

While Amanda Seyfried's character Nina Winchester isn't in the second book, both Seyfried and Feig have confirmed that Nina will most likely make a cameo in The Housemaid's Secret.

The first film sees Sweeney star as Millie Calloway, a housemaid with a checkered past who accepts a live-in position from Nina Winchester, a wealthy married woman played by Seyfried.

As Nina becomes increasingly unhinged, Millie finds herself drawn into an affair with Nina's hunky husband, Andrew, played by Brandon Sklenar.

However, she soon discovers that the Winchester family are hiding a terrible secret.

The sequel, set several years after the first film, follows Millie as she takes a new job cleaning for the obscenely wealthy Garrick couple in their sprawling New York penthouse.

Much like the first book, Millie uncovers a twisted secret about Mrs Garrick, who keeps herself locked in the guest bedroom whenever Millie comes over to clean.

As expected, the sequel will contain another jaw-dropping twist that audiences will not see coming unless they have read the books.  

The Housemaid's Secret became a New York Times bestseller upon its release.

Overall, the entire Housemaid series has sold more than 12 million copies.

Lionsgate owns the rights to the first three books in the series, so if The Housemaid's Secret performs well at the box office, then a third film, The Housemaid is Watching, is expected to be green-lit. 

'It's clear from both the global box office and from the outpouring on social media that audiences have responded strongly – and audibly – to the totally unique and truly theatrical experience of The Housemaid and want to know what happens next,' Lionsgate said.

'We believed in these stories from the very beginning, and we are beyond excited to bring the next chapter of Millie's story to life on-screen,' they continued.

'The Housemaid's Secret is another wildly thrilling book in Freida's series that has captivated readers worldwide, and we look forward to translating it into a similarly rousing and riotous moviegoing experience.'

Despite being in theaters for a month now, The Housemaid recently returned to No 1 at the UK and Ireland box office.

It also just surpassed $20 million at the Australian box office, proving that it's a bona fide hit with audiences both domestically and internationally. 

'I don’t know how many times in my career I’ve had to prove to Hollywood that women will show up at movie theaters, but they still do,' Feig told The Hollywood Reporter. 

'It happened with Bridesmaids, it happened with Spy, it happened with The Heat and Simple Favor to a lesser degree, since it didn’t do as well as I wanted to. But it still is considered a success because the budget was so small,' he added.