There’s anOrphanprequel in the works that will seeIsabelle Fuhrmanreprise her as “Esther,” who be taking onJulia Stilesthis time around.
William Brent Bell(The Boy) will directOrphan: First Kill, which was written byDavid Coggeshall. The story finds Leena Klammer, who posed as 9-year-old Esther Coleman in the first film, orchestrating a brilliant escape from an Estonian psychiatric facility and traveling to America by impersonating the missing daughter of a wealthy family. As Leena slips back into life as “Esther,” an unexpected wrinkle arises that pits her against a mother (Stiles) who will protect her family at any cost.
Jaume Collet-Serradirected 2009’sOrphan, which starredPeter SarsgaardandVera Farmigaas new parents who suffer and tragic loss and take in a young girl from Eastern Europe who isn’t quite what she appears to be. I had a blast with the outlandish twists and turns ofOrphan, and so did many others, as it grossed nearly $80 million worldwide on a reported production budget of just $20 million.
Orphan: First Killis a co-production between Entertainment One and Dark Castle Entertainment, and the film will be produced by Dark Castle’sAlex Mace,Hal SadoffandEthan Erwin, as well asJames Tomlinson. Meanwhile, originalOrphanscribeDavid Leslie Johnson-McGoldrickwill executive produce alongsideJen Gortonand Fuhrman will serve as an associate producer on the project, whichJosie Liangwill oversee on behalf of eOne.
Deadlinereports that production is already under way in Winnipeg, and that Bell will utilize the film’s world-class makeup team and some forced perspective camera angles to help Fuhrman realize her performance despite having aged 11 years since the first film. She has thrived sinceOrphancatapulted her to stardom, having appeared inThe Hunger Gamesfranchise and the acclaimed Showtime seriesMasters of Sex. Fuhrman next stars inEscape Room 2, which Sony is expected to release in January.
Stiles has battled evil “children” before, having starred in the 2006 remake ofThe Omen, though she’s best remembered in my book as the star of10 Things I Hate About Youand the underrated teen thrillerO. Her additional credits includeHustlers,Silver Linings Playbookand Showtime’sDexter, and she currently stars on the TV seriesRiviera, which she also executive produces.
Collet-Serra doesn’t appear to be involved in this prequel, having moved on to directJungle Cruisefor Disney, and you canclick herefor the scoop on Metallica’s contributions to the score for that upcoming adventure film.
