Orphan 3 received an update from Esther/Leena star Isabelle Fuhrman. Following up on playing a middle-aged killer impersonating a 10-year-old in the 2009 cult horror movie Orphan, Fuhrman reprised her role as the тιтular con artist in a prequel тιтled Orphan: First Kill in 2022. In 2024, Lionsgate officially greenlit a threequel from writer David Coggeshall and director William Brent Bell.

In an interview with ScreenRant, Isabelle Fuhrman teased details about Orphan 3‘s script and offered a small update. The actor, who attended her first horror convention at the Spookala Florida Horror Convention in April, is thrilled to “make another film.” While Fuhrman revealed that the project is still in the “early stages,” she read the script and thought it was “fantastic.” Check out her comments below:

It’s early stages, but it’s definitely rumbling. I just went to my first horror convention, I think it was two or three weeks ago, and it was so cool to meet so many fans of Orphan. People dressed up came from all over to see me, and to talk to me about the movie, and ask questions. For me, it feels like such a great thing to make another film for the fans, because they seem to really want it. I would love to do it, and the script that I read was fantastic. So, I hope that we get to make the movie. Everything is always in stages, takes some time, but it would be great. It would be really, really great.

What This Means For Orphan 3

Orphan 3 Is Actively In Development

Fuhrman gave another update on the sequel early this year. In January, the star confirmed that she had read the script and had begun working on the project. Back then, Fuhrman also revealed that the script’s quality was a strong reason why she returned to the franchise once again after the sequel Orphan: First Kill, which saw Esther impersonating a rich family’s missing daughter. Her comment here suggests that progress is actively being made behind the scenes.

Despite arriving in theaters more than a decade after the original’s release, the chaotic and entertaining Orphan: First Kill was announced in 2020, two years before it was officially released. Orphan 3, on the other hand, was announced to be in the works in December 2023 before being greenlit in 2024 and has yet to receive a release date. It seems that Orphan 3 might take longer than the prequel, given that it’s still in development.

Our Take On Orphan 3

Orphan 3 Has Something Special In Store

It’s unclear what Orphan 3‘s plot will explore, but with Orphan: First Kill establishing Esther/Leena’s history of violence and crime, Bell has teased that there’s plenty of room for the threequel, given the 30-year gap between the original movie and the prequel. Fuhrman’s high praise for the script also sounds like a very positive sign that the third movie will manage to surprise fans once again, in addition to immersing viewers in a juicy story.

The 2009 Orphan set the bar pretty high, but still, the prequel was able to deliver something even better with the reveal that the real Esther had died years ago in a fight with her older brother, and Leena had been impersonating Tricia’s daughter to meet the family’s needs. It’s hard to imagine anything better than that, but it sounds like Orphan 3 might just do exactly that.