The Housekeeper: New Lesbian Romance Reimagines the Woman Behind Rebecca’s Mrs Danvers

One of literature’s most recognisable housekeepers is being given an entirely different backstory in The Housekeeper, a forthcoming period drama starring Caitríona Balfe and Emma Laird.

The film imagines a passionate relationship between a housekeeper and novelist Daphne du Maurier, suggesting that the writer’s famous character Mrs Danvers was inspired by a woman whose private life she transformed into fiction.

Directed by Richard Eyre and written by Rose Tremain, the production also stars Anthony Hopkins and Helena Bonham Carter.

A Secret Relationship in Cornwall

Set in 1936, the story follows Danni Danowski, played by Balfe, who works at Manderville Hall, a grand Cornish house owned by the widowed Lord Grenville-Whithers, portrayed by Hopkins.

When the young writer Daphne du Maurier arrives, played by Laird, Danni finds herself drawn into a passionate relationship.

For one woman, the affair becomes an overwhelming love, while for the other it awakens desires she has previously suppressed.

Their relationship develops under the watchful eye of Adelaide, Lord Grenville-Whithers’ calculating niece, played by Bonham Carter.

However, the romance eventually becomes destructive when Daphne uses Danni’s words and experiences to create Mrs Danvers, the formidable housekeeper in Rebecca.

The story presents Danni as a woman whose identity has been appropriated for literary success, leaving her to confront the consequences of that betrayal.

The Fictional Origins of Mrs Danvers

Published in 1938, Rebecca follows a young woman who marries the widower Maxim de Winter and moves to his Cornish estate, Manderley.

There she encounters Mrs Danvers, whose devotion to Maxim’s late wife Rebecca contributes to the novel’s threatening atmosphere.

The Housekeeper imagines a different history for the character, presenting Danni as the woman whose life inspired du Maurier’s fictional creation.

The premise is drawn from Rose Tremain’s fiction and should not be confused with an established account of du Maurier’s life or the creation of Rebecca.

This distinction allows the film to use a familiar literary character to explore questions about authorship, personal identity and the consequences of turning another person’s experiences into a story.

Who Is Behind The Housekeeper?

Richard Eyre directs from a screenplay by Rose Tremain, adapted from her own short story and related novel.

The cast includes Caitríona Balfe as Danni, Emma Laird as Daphne du Maurier, Anthony Hopkins as Lord Grenville-Whithers and Helena Bonham Carter as Adelaide.

The production began filming in February 2026, with principal photography subsequently completed.

The production brings together performers known for Outlander, Belfast, The Brutalist and The Crown, alongside a director whose previous work includes The Children Act and Notes on a Scandal.

When Will The Housekeeper Be Released?

A UK cinema release date, streaming platform and official trailer have not yet been confirmed.