The Housekeeper: Helena Bonham Carter & Anthony Hopkins To Star

Helena Bonham Carter and Anthony Hopkins have signed on to star in The Housekeeper. They will be joined by Caitríona Balfe (Outlander) and Emma Laird (28 Years Later).

Richard Eyre, who directed The Children Act, will direct the film from a screenplay by Rose Tremain, based on her own short story and forthcoming novel, which reimagines Daphne du Maurier and the origins of her timeless bestseller Rebecca. The synopsis tells the tale of a brooding landscape of Cornwall. Danni (Balfe) is the housekeeper at Manderville Hall, a grand historic house owned by the wealthy and widowed Lord Grenville-Whithers (Hopkins). When the young writer Daphne du Maurier (Laird) arrives, Danni is drawn into a clandestine and intoxicating affair. For one, it is an all-consuming love; for the other, an awakening of long-suppressed desires. Their fragile secret threatens to unravel under the watchful gaze of Adelaide (Bonham Carter), Lord Grenville-Whithers’ calculating niece.

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Shooting will begin on the 9th February, with the producers for the film being Julia Taylor-Stanley for Artemis Films, Kevin Loader for Embankment, and Herbert L. Kloiber for Night Train Media, who are also the principal financiers. Embankment Films is handling sales. Additional finance was provided by Head Gear Films, M2 Mediapost, FireFrame Studios, and Screen Cornwall. Executive producers are Phil Hunt and Compton Ross for Head Gear Films, and James Copp for Night Train Media.

“Rose Tremain has written a brilliant screenplay which is dark and surprising and mysterious, and we look forward to making a film which lives up to its promise,” Eyre said in a statement, with Julia Taylor-Stanley adding, “Assembling a cast of such calibre speaks to the power of Rose’s storytelling, and to Richard’s standing amongst the great British directors. We are excited to be working with our talent on bringing this compelling story to the screen.”

About the Author

Danny Humby

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Danny is a freelance media creative with a background spanning marketing, journalism and governance. From 2021 to 2024 he was Chair of the Student Radio Association and is currently a Trustee at Chichester Festival Theatre. He holds an MSc in Marketing and a BA in Film and Television from Solent University, and remains passionate about supporting young people, the arts, and charitable organisations to help broaden their reach and impact. He can be found under @popcornandpace on Instagram.

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