Sometimes, we all just need a little drama in our lives. If hours of reality television and celebrity gossip and true crime have proven anything, a lot of us love to temporarily lose ourselves in the messiness of others.
For those who prefer those twists and turns on a fictional scale, the first look at the upcoming adaptation of The Housemaid definitely seems here to deliver.
On Tuesday, Lionsgate released the first official trailer for The Housemaid, which already made a splash earlier this year when it was screened at CinemaCon. The film, which is directed by Paul Feig and led by Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, is based on Freida McFadden’s best-selling 2022 book of the same name.
Set to a slowed-down version of Sabrina Carpenter’s “Please Please Please”, the trailer sees Sweeney’s Millie interviewing for a job as the live-in housemaid of Seyfried’s Nina. Once she takes the job, things start to turn erratic: pills are found, documents are burned, bloody knives are brandished. At one point, Millie eats a sandwich while hunched over the counter with her forehead covered in blood, which is honestly a mood.
According to the studio’s official synopsis for the film, it “plunges audiences into a twisted world where perfection is an illusion, and nothing is as it seems. Trying to escape her past, Millie (Sweeney) accepts a job as a live-in housemaid for the wealthy Nina (Seyfried) and Andrew Winchester (Brandon Sklenar). But what begins as a dream job quickly unravels into something far more dangerous – a sexy, seductive game of secrets, scandal, and power. Behind the Winchesters’ closed doors lies a world of shocking twists that will leave you guessing until the very end.”
Playing House
Without getting too far into spoilers (because honestly, where’s the fun in that?), The Housemaid is really centered around the ebbing and flowing dynamic between Nina and Millie. Despite the wealthy exterior, the trailer really leans into the erratic nature of their identities and their relationships. Why does Millie need a key for her bedroom door? Why is Nina crashing out by screaming in the car? And how does Sklenar’s Andrew fit into the proceedings?
Given the overwhelming popularity of The Housemaid, both on BookTok and on the best-seller lists, it seems like discovering the answers to these questions onscreen will be a journey. Plus, there are already two sequels, 2023’s The Housemaid’s Secret and 2024’s The Housemaid’s Watching, so there’s definitely enough narrative to potentially encompass more than one film. Maybe a trilogy is in the cards?
“I’m thrilled to have The Housemaid join our upcoming slate,” Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chair Adam Fogelson previously said in a statement. “A great filmmaker and a great cast with a great script from a great book is a terrific place to start. My prior work experiences with Paul and Amanda have been nothing short of spectacular, and Sydney is as talented and compelling as can be.”
The Housemaid will be released exclusively in theaters on December 19th.
(featured image: Lionsgate)
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