Skip to main content

This hugely popular horror franchise will be back for a third installment

We don't know yet when the movie will be released or what it's about.

Isabelle-Fuhrman-in-Orphan-First-Kill
Paramount Pictures

The Orphan franchise has not saturated the market with new installments, but Variety is reporting that a third chapter is now in the works. Isabelle Fuhrman, who plays Esther in the franchise, , is set to return for the new installment, which does not have a title or plot description yet. Orphan: First Kill detailed Esther’s origin, and First Kill’s director William Brant Bell will return for the third installment and is one of the best horror movies of recent year.

The franchise focuses on Leena Klammer, an older woman who has a unique disorder that makes her appear to be a young girl. The first film follows a married couple who are struggling to have children, and adopt Esther, believing her to be a child. When Esther’s plan to destroy their family goes awry, she has to improvise.

ORPHAN: FIRST KILL | Official Trailer | Paramount Movies

After the franchise was dormant for more than a decade, Orphan: First Kill was released directly on Paramount+ and surprised many in how effective it turned out to be. The only real constant in the franchise’s cast is Fuhrman, and we also don’t know when this new installment will be set.

Recommended Videos

We also don’t know much more about when the movie will be released. Given the ongoing success of the franchise, though, it seems like Lionsgate would want to time the movie’s release for the Halloween season. It’s possible that the movie could be ready for next year’s season, and if not, 2026 seems like an obvious landing spot for it. We’ll have to wait to learn more about what the movie is actually about, though, and when it might be set.

Joe Allen
Contributor
Joe Allen is a freelance culture writer based in upstate New York. His work has been published in The Washington Post, The…
George Lucas cut a major reveal from the final version of ‘The Phantom Menace’
The film almost made a major change to the role of Obi-Wan
Liam Neeson and Natalie Portman in The Phantom Menace

The legacy of George Lucas's Star Wars prequel trilogy has transformed in the decades since they were released. During a recent interview with Iain McCaig, a Star Wars concept and storyboard artist, StarWars.com reported that George Lucas originally had a very different plan for the characters in The Phantom Menace.

In some versions of the story, the names of Ewan McGregor and Liam Neeson's characters were swapped, so that McGregor would play Qui-Gon Jinn and Neeson Obi-Wan McGregor. This also meant that, in that version, the real Obi-Wan Kenobi died.

Read more
A ’90s Sylvester Stallone classic is getting a remake
The film was previously packaged with Stallone set to return, but has since been revamped.
Sylvester Stallone in the original Cliffhanger

Remakes have been a part of Hollywood for as long as studios have been around, but they have rarely been as popular as they are today. The latest classic blockbuster to get the remake treatment is reportedly Cliffhanger, the Sylvester Stallone action movie about a mountain climber who goes up against a gang of thieves who are hoping to recover their lost loot.

This reboot was first announced a year and a half ago, according to Variety, and Stallone was attached to star in that version of the project. Now, Stallone is out, and the remake will star Lily James, with Pierce Brosnan set to co-star. Jaume Collet-Sera is set to direct.

Read more
Your guide to the best movies on Max this November
New to Max? Here are the top movies to start with
Timothee Chalamet in Dune Part 2

Now that HBO Max has rebranded as Max, it's the right time to get acquainted with all of the great movies to watch on the streaming service. In addition to large portions of the Warner Bros. catalog, it also has tons of seminal, classic films, as well as plenty of foreign releases. Because the catalog is so big and rich, there are about 250 titles that could go on this list. There's a wealth of options to choose from whether you're into action movies or comedies, and you shouldn't feel limited by the selection below.
Instead, you should treat it as a jumping-off point of HBO Max movies, one that will hopefully allow you to explore many of the titles that didn't quite make the cut. Max has great movies in every genre and from every period of film history. This is just a sampling of the best movies on Max. And if you're looking for more Max content, we've rounded up the best shows on Max to watch right now.

The Dark Knight (2008)

Read more