David Bruckner will direct Sydney Sweeney in The Caretaker.

      After initially acquiring the package in 2022, Universal Pictures appears poised to embrace the Sydney Sweeney trend, following the box office triumph of Lionsgate’s thriller The Housemaid. According to THR, David Bruckner (The Night House, Hellraiser) has agreed to write and direct The Caretaker.

      The film, rooted in the forthcoming novel by Marcus Kliewer (We Used to Live Here), is a supernatural horror project being produced by Sweeney in partnership with Michael Bay and Brad Fuller under their Platinum Dunes label. Sweeney will star as Macy Mullins, “a young woman who takes a caretaking job found on Craigslist, only to realize that the role carries far greater—and more perilous—consequences than she ever anticipated.”

      The official description of the novel, which is set for release this week, states:

      EXCITING OPPORTUNITY: Caretaker urgently needed. Three days of work. Competitive pay. Serious applicants ONLY.

      Macy Mullins can’t pinpoint why the job advertisement caught her eye—it had an alluring quality reminiscent of a fisherman’s lure, ominously barbed. Yet, after an unending series of unsuccessful job interviews, she finds herself in no position to be selective. With rent due, groceries to purchase, and a younger sister to care for, she feels compelled to take the plunge. Plus, it's merely three days of work... confined in a stranger’s house amid the Oregon Coast wilderness. What begins as an unusual side gig swiftly evolves into a waking nightmare. An unfathomable evil could be lurking within this property—and Macy Mullins might be humanity's only line of defense. Follow the Rites… Follow the Rites… Follow the Rites…

      Sweeney, currently reprising her role as Cassie in season 3 of HBO’s Euphoria, is riding a wave of box office success thanks to the Paul Feig-directed The Housemaid, which has amassed $401.7 million worldwide—sufficient for Lionsgate to confidently schedule the sequel, The Housemaid’s Secret, to compete directly with Marvel’s Avengers: Secret Wars in December 2027.

      About Gary Collinson: Gary Collinson is a writer and producer specializing in film, television, and digital content, and he serves as the founder and editor-in-chief of the pop culture media brand Flickering Myth. As a producer, he has worked on the gothic horror film The Baby in the Basket and the suspense thriller Death Among the Pines, and he is also the author of the book Holy Franchise, Batman! Bringing the Caped Crusader to the Screen.