Helena Bonham Carter and more cast in The Housekeeper

The Housekeeper, a fictionalised story of the inspiration behind Rebecca, has added Helena Bonham Carter to its cast.

Helena Bonham Carter has been cast alongside Emma Laird and Caitriona Balfe in The Housekeeper.

The upcoming romantic drama – which tells a fictionalised story of the inspiration behind Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca – has undergone some changes with Uma Thurman and Phoebe Dynevor no longer slated to appear, although Sir Anthony Hopkins is still leading the way as widowed Lord Grenville-Whithers.

The story followers housekeeper Danni (Balfe) at Manderville Hall, where the arrival of writer Daphne (Laird) draws her into an intoxicating affair.

Adelaine (Bonham Carter), the scheming niece of Lord Grenville-Whithers, watches on as their fragile secret unfolds.

Iris filmmaker Sir Richard Eyre will be directing from a script penned by author Dame Rose Tremain.

Eyre said: “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.”

Artemis Films’ Julia Taylor-Stanley is set to produce alongside Night Train Media’s Herbert L. Kloiber, and Embarkment’s Kevin Loader, with production underway.

Taylor-Stanley said: “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.”

And Kloiber promised a mix of “passion, elegance and emotional truth” when the story hits the big screen.

He added: “The Housekeeper promises audiences an intoxicating blend of passion, elegance, and emotional truth, brought to life through Rose Tremain’s exquisite writing and Richard Eyre’s masterful direction.”

Du Maurier’s classic novel Rebecca was released in 1938, following an unnamed young woman who marries a wealthy widower, while discovering how he and the household are haunted by the memory of his late wife.

Du Maurier herself adapted the story for the stage in 1939, while Alfred Hitchcock brought it to the big screen the following year and won the Oscar for Best Picture.

In 2020, Ben Wheatley helmed a remake for Netflix, with Lily James playing Mrs de Winter, Armie Hammer as Maxim, and Kristen Scott Thomas in the role of Mrs Danvers.