Watch out — Esther's back! After her introduction in Jaume Collet-Serra's 2009 horror film Orphan and her subsequent prequel in 2022's Orphan: First Kill, Isabelle Fuhrman's iconic horror character Esther Coleman is set to return to the screen and terrorize a new unsuspecting family.
According to Variety's exclusive report, Orphan 3 is officially in development at Lionsgate and Dark Castle Entertainment, with plans to sell the project at the American Film Market next week. Orphan: First Kill writer David Coggeshall and director William Brent Bell are both returning alongside Fuhrman for the horror threequel, which will continue the story of the genre's most terrifying *SPOILER WARNING* thirty-something-year-old-in-a-nine-year-old's-body.
While plot details for the latest installment remain undisclosed for now, Dark Castle Entertainment co-CEO Norman Golightly is already building excitement for the Orphan franchise. "Dark Castle is thrilled to announce another chilling chapter in the Orphan saga," he stated in a press release. "With the success of the first two films and another gripping storyline, we are confident that Orphan 3 will be a must-see for both existing fans and new audiences."
Given the ending of the first Orphan movie, it's likely that the third film will continue the prequel trend — unless Coggeshall and Brent find a way to escape the first movie's gruesome neck snap/frozen lake finale. However, with Esther successfully reimagined as a kind of girlboss figure in First Kill, the possibilities for the franchise's direction are wide open. Orphan 3 could be a sequel, a prequel, or even a crossover (Esther vs. Chucky, anyone? Esther vs. Damien? Esther vs. that little antichrist kid from The Swiss Family Robinson?). Whatever the case, one thing is certain — we'll be eagerly awaiting its arrival.
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