'Orphan 3' in the works with original star Isabelle Fuhrman reprising role
Esther will be back for more kills as Dark Castle Entertainment has announced they are working on a third Orphan film.
According to a report by Variety, the entertainment company has pushed forward with the project and confirmed that original actress Isabelle Fuhrman will return to reprise her role as the psychopathic Esther who disguises herself as a nine-year-old girl.
"Dark Castle is excited to announce another terrifying chapter in the Orphan saga," said Norman Golightly, co-CEO of Dark Castle Entertainment.
"With the past success of the first two movies and another thrilling storyline, we are confident that ‘Orphan 3’ will be a must-see movie for both current fans of the franchise, and new fans alike," he added.
William Brent Bell, who directed Orphan: First Kill, will return to helm the new installment again.
The original film was released back in 2009 and follows a married couple adopting a nine-year-old girl named Esther, who turns out to be a 33-year-old violent serial killer diagnosed with a hormonal disorder.
Orphan was green-lit for a prequel 13 years later in 2022, with the story centering on Esther as she travels to America after escaping a psychiatric facility and continues to impersonate the missing daughter of a wealthy family.
While plot details of Orphan 3 are still under wraps, it will likely explore more of the killer's mysterious past as the original film ended with her being killed by the family she was victimizing.
In terms of how Fuhrman will be able to play the role of a little girl despite currently being 27 years old, Bell previously shared that they had to use practical effects to make it look like she was still a child.
For instance, Fuhrman's co-stars had to wear giant platform shoes to make themselves look taller than her. Bell also used a technique known as forced perspective to pull off this illusion for many shots in Orphan: First Kill.
"It's where, if we have two people in frame, if we want one person to be smaller, we put them further back. Then we use a lens and such that [when] they're moving together they look in proportion to one another," Bell said, per Entertainment Weekly.
Fuhrman added, "It was difficult. It's hard to remember that you can't look in the eyes of the person you're acting opposite, you have to look directly to the side."
Lionsgate is set to launch the project at the American Film Market this week.
