In Hollywood, nothing ever goes according to plan. But when Lionsgate optioned the rights to an independently published novel called “The Housemaid” in 2022, the studio had no idea just how perfectly the stars would align to bring this project to fruition.
First the novel, by Freida McFadden, exploded. The story of a young woman who becomes a live-in housemaid for a couple offered twists and turns and delicious thrills, and book readers bought it in droves. Then screenwriter Rebecca Sonnenshine wrote a first draft of a movie adaptation that was so pitch-perfect, Lionsgate greenlit the movie on the spot.
So the studio went to its first choice to anchor the cast, Sydney Sweeney. The red-hot actress said yes within 24 hours. Then came director Paul Feig, who, in the middle of directing the Lionsgate-produced “A Simple Favor” sequel, speed-read three books in McFadden’s series in one day and signed on. Then their first pick to co-star with Sweeney, Amanda Seyfried, also said yes in record time.
Could it really be this easy?
“No one in my job options a novel expecting it to do what ‘The Housemaid’ did,” Erin Westerman, President of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, told TheWrap. “We didn’t believe it was real because it’s never that easy,” she added of the core cast and Feig all falling into place.
That was key because the hope for “The Housemaid” is to create a theatrical event primarily for women.
“I think as a theatrical-focused studio, the idea of having a movie that should be viewed theatrically and can remind women that haven’t been in the theater in a while, maybe they haven’t been in the last year, getting them to this movie is a reminder that movies can be the communal experience that women are looking for,” Westerman said, acknowledging that women are underserved at the theater.
And female-driven box office is on a roll as of late. Women fueled the success of Lionsgate’s “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t” and Universal’s “Wicked: For Good,” and hopes are high that “The Housemaid” shows once again that if you cater to this audience in the right way, they’ll show up.
“I think that their bar is higher and their expectation for what they are served is higher,” Westerman said. “But I think they are absolutely underserved. I think women and girls in general seek out community, and I think finding spaces where they can be communal is important to them.”
TheWrap spoke with Westerman about the journey to bring “The Housemaid” to theaters, catering to female audiences and Lionsgate’s big 2026 with “The Hunger Games” and “Michael.”
Read our full interview below.
What was the process of developing this project like?
No one in my job options a novel expecting it to do what “The Housemaid” did. In fact, you actually do the opposite. You option a book and you have conversations assuming that the book will not do that, and you want to make sure that the story is a story that would stand on its own without IP value behind it. When we optioned “The Housemaid” in 2022, it had just been independently published and we loved the writing. But more so, we were certain that the opportunities for actresses to act opposite each other was so rare that we were certain that the casting opportunities were going to be really incredible and that packaging was going to be fun. And the idea that it took place mostly in a house allowed the budget to be really, really flexible depending on cast.
Rebecca Sonnenshine had never been paid to write a feature when we hired her on ‘Housemaid,’ but there are those movies where you just bet on a voice and her work on ‘The Boys’ and one of her samples just spoke to how incredible she is. And the reason we’re here is because we greenlit the first draft of the script.
Sydney Sweeney, Amanda Seyfried and Paul Feig is a pretty winning combo. How did that come together?
When we talked about who we wanted to anchor the movie and who would be the most fun when you pictured actresses side by side, Sydney was our first choice and she said yes within 24 hours. We pre-agreed to a list of actresses that she was excited about working opposite, and Amanda also said yes in 24 hours. So much so that we didn’t believe it was real because it’s never that easy.
And Paul Feig, We were sitting in Rome on a set visit for “Another Simple Favor,” listening to Paul talk about how his favorite movies were actually dark, twisty, horrific thrillers, right as we needed a director for this film. And Paul read three books in 24 hours, and just came so hard and so passionately. The girls were so excited about him. It was Sydney, Paul, then Amanda. That was the order. And they all just aligned.
There were so many directors clamoring to direct this movie, and because the primary audience for this movie was women we really wanted to protect the potential of fun. We knew Paul would really walk the tonal line it needed.
You’re putting this out at a time when the marketplace has been volatile, and it’s hard to predict what people will show up to the theater to see. What are your hopes for this?
Making movies for women has always been a big portion of Lionsgate’s business, and I think as a theatrical-focused studio, the idea of having a movie that should be viewed theatrically and can remind women that haven’t been in the theater in a while, maybe they haven’t been in the last year, getting them to this movie is a reminder that movies can be the communal experience that women are looking for.
There’s been a spate of female-fueled box office hits lately with “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t” and “Wicked: For Good.” Do you feel it’s an underserved audience?
I do. I think that their bar is higher and their expectation for what they are served is higher. But I think they are absolutely underserved. I think women and girls in general seek out community, and I think finding spaces where they can be communal is important to them. They also are the drivers of social media. Statistically they are on social media more, creating more conversation on social media. Female audiences can drive culture. They can talk about our films the way that they did Wet Dave on TikTok and create more noise for “Now You See Me,” which drives more people to the theater, which creates these communal experiences. So yeah, I think they’re underserved.
That’s key, right? The communal theater experience. Because there’s no expectation in the audience’s mind this is going to be on Disney+ in 45 days or anything like that.
Right. I also think romance in particular has not been served to them in a very long time.
The marketing on “The Housemaid” has been really leaned-in on the “fun” aspect of the movie without really giving away too much of the plot.
There’s a confidence to our marketing. A bulk of the team on that account are women who are massive fans, which I think goes a long way. And I think audiences can feel when marketing is confident. They were also just really ready to have fun with it. We had partners that were super willing to go places, so we tried some really fun stuff. We built merch on this movie that’s really exciting and fun. We did some collabs that were really inventive, but we had actresses who were really game to put this movie on their shoulders from a publicity standpoint.
Our head of digital had this idea that one of the hold backs for women might be babysitting, so we did a partnership with Helpr where you if you buy two “Housemaid” tickets, you get a discount on babysitting services as a way to help overcome that, which I’m super proud of. That only happens when you have a woman inside of this industry who understands what a help that would be.
And the release date was chosen because this time of year there’s such a long history of movies driven by women just legging out between now and the end of January. We’re less focused on the number this weekend and more focused on the number in January.
Traditionally, I think when people think of Lionsgate, they don’t necessarily think of female-driven movies. Are you making a concerted effort to make more films for women, or do you feel that’s a misconception? You have a pretty diverse slate coming up.
We do have a diverse slate, but this is the house that “Hunger Games” and “Twilight” built. We have always had a very robust and very successful slate built for women. I think especially in a world where we have to zig when others are zagging, understanding when something is underserved is a big part of how we continue to be successful. So yes, it is actively a part of our slate.
“Things We Left Unfinished,” Rebecca Yaros’s first novel, is something that we optioned and are very excited about. “Hunger Games” is back next year and the trailer performance – it’s the second most-watched trailer in Lionsgate history – is really showcasing what we hoped would be true, which is that this is the exact movie that “Hunger Games” fans wanted.
Something about that franchise is the films feel very sophisticated. Yes they’re for the fans, but the reviews for “Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” were raves.
We don’t make our IP without the artist at the center of it, generating it. We’ve never made a “Hunger Games” movie without Suzanne Collins. We’ve never made a “Twilight” movie without Stephenie Meyer. Freida McFadden was actively involved in the development of “The Housemaid.” We believe wholeheartedly in making sure that these franchises are protected by the people that built them.
Tell me about the upcoming slate. What are you excited for?
“Michael” is the highest-viewed trailer in Lionsgate history. I’m so excited for that movie. We have this beautiful partnership with Kingdom Story Company and we have a sequel to “I Can Only Imagine” that’s coming out at the top of the year that they did a gorgeous job on it.
Is there going to be a second “Michael” movie?
The option is there.
What about another “Hunger Games?”
We always follow Suzanne’s lead.
“Sunrise on the Reaping” happened really fast, right? You guys were developing that at the same time as she was writing the book?
Yes. That has never happened in the history of the Hunger Games-Lionsgate relationship, it has never happened. It showcases her trust in us and in Francis Lawrence and Nina Jacobson that she let us in early.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
“The Housemaid” is now playing only in theaters.
The post Lionsgate Motion Picture Group President Erin Westerman on Leveraging Female Audience Momentum for ‘The Housemaid’ appeared first on TheWrap.
