Hot on the heels of his folk horror Lord of Misrule, William Brent Bell (The Boy, Orphan: First Kill) has today revealed to The Hollywood Reporter that a third instalment of the Orphan franchise is currently in development.
2022's Orphan: First Kill, a sequel to 2009's Orphan, racked up an impressive worldwide total of $44 million (even with a day-and-date release on Paramount+), so a sequel should come as unsurprising yet exciting news. The movie saw Isabelle Fuhrman reprise her role as the maniacal Esther, a grown woman with a rare hormonal disorder that causes her to look like a child. Alongside Fuhrman, Julia Stiles and Rossif Sutherland starred as Esther's adoptive parents.
Brent Bell's full quote, per THR, reads as follows:
We’re developing a third one now. The franchise’s rulebook has been opened up to where anything is possible [...] And knowing where we are in the process already, I’m extremely excited about the twists and turns that we have in store.
While plot details for Orphan 3 remain under wraps, fans of the franchise already know of Esther's fate from the very first movie. Whether or not the third entry into the franchise will continue on the prequel path or take a whole new route entirely remains to be seen. Will Fuhrman go even younger as Esther? Will writer David Coggeshall return to pen the script? Who knows - but we'll have all the updates for you as and when we get them.
