Orphan: First Kill, as viewers already know, was not Esther’s first nor last murder spree. But apparently, she’s not done killing yet. Director William Brent Bell, who helmed the second Orphan movie, has teased the development of a third installment.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Bell opened up about the risk he took by making Isabelle Fuhrman — who was 25 years old at the time of the Orphan: First Kill release — reprise a role she played back in 2009.
It was a role Bell thought Fuhrman could still play any time she wants “as long as it’s still fun and rewarding.” Then, the director shared that his team is already developing the third film.
“I definitely think Orphan as a franchise has so many variations, and unlike other franchises, whether it’s a doll or a masked killer, she’s a real character on screen like Hannibal Lecter and she’s never going to age. So we really can do it, and we’re only going to get better at it. And Isabelle loves it so much,” Bell told THR.
He added, “And now that we’ve gone another direction with the second one, the franchise’s rulebook has been opened up to where anything is possible.”
Orphan: First Kill explored Esther’s backstory
The 2009 Jaume Collet-Serra-helmed Orphan introduced the nine-year-old character to the world, who happens to be a 33-year-old woman with a rare condition that causes her to stop growing. Due to the success the first film received, with many fans demanding a sequel, the 2022 film reintroduced Esther, this time exploring the events before the original one.
“After orchestrating a brilliant escape from an Estonian psychiatric facility, Esther travels to America by impersonating the missing daughter of a wealthy family. Yet, an unexpected twist arises that pits her against a mother who will protect her family from the murderous “child” at any cost,” the synopsis for Orphan: First Kill reads.
Apart from Fuhrman as the unlikely serial killer, the prequel also starred Julia Stiles as Tricia, Rossif Sutherland as Allen, Matthew Finlan as Gunnar, and Hiro Kanagawa as Detective Donnan.
