Everything We Know About Caitriona Balfe’s New Romance Movie ‘The Housekeeper’
Calling all Portrait of a Lady on Fire and Carol fans — and anyone who loves a sapphic historical romance in general. We’ve got another addition to the genre on the way with The Housekeeper, which follows an affair between a housekeeper and a novelist. Based on a 1930s-set story by Dame Rose Tremain, The Housekeeper fictionalized the inspiration behind Daphne Du Maurier’s classic, Rebecca.
If that wasn’t enough to entice you, it’s A-list cast — which includes Outlander star Caitriona Balfe and Oscar nominee Helena Bonham Carter — might do the trick. Swooon is breaking down everything revealed about the lesbian gothic romance adaptation below, including the full cast, release date, and plot.
What is The Housekeeper‘s release date?
The Housekeeper doesn’t yet have a release date. Variety reported that the movie had recast several main roles after the outlet announced the original cast in October 2024. Stay tuned for any additional filming updates.
What is The Housekeeper about?
Set in a haunting 1930s Cornwall, The Housekeeper’s titular character is Danni (Balfe). She works at Manderville Hall, which is as grand as it sounds and owned by widowed Lord DeWithers. When beautiful novelist Daphne Du Maurier arrives, Danni is drawn to her, and all-consuming love affair begins. Their secret is threatened by the perceptive Adelaide, DeWithers’ niece.
“Rose Tremain’s story grapples with love, fear, fiction, desire, ambition, death and legacy — perhaps epic, whilst providing us with the delicacy of most complex, nuanced characters and unexpected shifts in audience sympathy,” director Sir Richard Eyre said in a statement. “The cast and I hold in our palm a story as rich and turbulent as the landscape that it inhabits, with Manderville Hall holding secrets and emotional intrigue within its historic walls.”
Who is in the cast of The Housekeeper?
The cast is tiny but mighty. Emma Laird (The Brutalist) will play Danni’s lover. Anthony Hopkins will appear as Lord DeWithers, while Bonham Carter will play his cousin.
“I feel so very, very honoured to share that I will be playing Daphne Du Maurier, opposite my heroes, in The Housekeeper,” Laird wrote on Instagram. “I do not take this lightly. Daphne was a remarkable woman. And thanks to Richard Eyre and the incredibly welcoming people of Cornwall, I’ve come to know her life, her work and legacy very well. I sit and type this with the weight of responsibility to make her and her estate proud. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
Laird has replaced Bridgerton star Phoebe Dynevor, and Balfe has taken on what was once Uma Thurman‘s role. The Housekeeper is being produced by Julia Taylor-Stanley and Kevin Loader.
Is there a trailer for The Housekeeper?
There’s no trailer just yet, since filming doesn’t appear to have started yet. We’ll update this page as soon as it becomes available.
The Housekeeper, TBD, In Theaters
