Move over Nicole Kidman, Uma Thurman is set to take her rightful place as the next star of a torrid age-gap romance alongside Bridgerton‘s Phoebe Dynevor and Silence of The Lambs star Anthony Hopkins in Richard Eyre’s The Housekeeper.
With the trending theme of Babygirls and representations of desire in older women finally sweeping Hollywood, the film, which sees Thurman, 54, and Dynevor, 29, play lovers, is sure to pique public interest.
As per Variety, the script of the ‘provocative romance’ has been written by bestselling author Rose Tremain. It is based on her short story and the forthcoming novel, which explores a fictionalised romance inspired by the events that spurred Daphne du Maurier to write her 1938 gothic novel, Rebecca.
According to Eyre, the film will explore themes of desire and longing through this all-consuming trist. As the director behind films such as Notes on a Scandal and The Other Man, it’s clear the director knows that nothing propels a plot forward like a forbidden romance with grim twists and an all-star cast.
“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,” Eyre said in a statement announcing the project. “The cast and I hold in our palm a story as rich and turbulent as the landscape it inhabits, with Manderville Hall holding secrets and emotional intrigue within its historic walls.”
Below, everything we know about the upcoming film.
What is The Housekeeper about?
Against the haunting backdrop of Cornwall’s suggest coast, the story follows Danni (Thurman), a reticent housekeeper at Manderville Hall—a grand manor owned by cashed-up widower Lord DeWithers (Hopkins). When the buoyant budding novelist Daphne du Maurier (Dynevor) visits, she and Danni soon find themselves tangled up in a passionate affair that turns everything they know upside down.
Is The Housekeeper based on a true story?
As saucy as it would be—and we don’t know that anything of the sort didn’t happen in that house—the film’s particular plot is entirely fictional, conjured up by Tremain.
Though Du Maurier was married to Frederick Browning from 1932 until his passing in 1965 and had three children with him, the reclusive writer has faced much speculation about romantic relationships with women.
Who will star in The Housekeeper?
Uma Thurman, of Kill Bill and Pulp Fiction fame, will play the film’s titular lead. A staple of the Tarantino universe, the actress has been keeping a relatively low profile in Hollywood recently but is sure to make a splash with this highly anticipated project.
Portraying a young Daphne du Maurier is Phoebe Dynevor, who shot to fame for her starring role as another Daphne in Netflix’s Bridgerton.
Sir Anthony Hopkins, 86, will be our Lord DeWithers.
When will The Housekeeper be released?
As of writing, the film (sadly) has no release date.
But with the cast locked in, filming is sure to take place soon, so stay tuned!
