Orphan 3 In The Works, Director Says Horror Franchise's Rulebook Has 'Opened Up'

A third "Orphan" film is already in the works, according to The Hollywood Reporter, and it's set to have a wild twist on par with the first two bonkers horror movies. THR caught up with William Brent Bell, who directed "Orphan: First Kill," to discuss his new movie "Lord of Misrule." Along the way, the filmmaker spilled the beans about the future of "Orphan," saying, "As long as we get excited about the stories, there are so many directions to go, and we're developing a third one now."

Details about the threequel are scarce at this point, and Bell didn't note exactly who's returning for the next installment of the killer "kid" franchise, but he did imply that certain major story moments have already been dreamed up. "David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, who created the first one, was very much involved in the second one, and he was like, 'The 'Orphan' movie is about the twist. That's what it has to have,'" Bell explained. He added, "Knowing where we are in the process already, I'm extremely excited about the twists and turns that we have in store."

Bell said the surprise success of the second film, a prequel that came over a decade after the original and dropped on Paramount+ the same day it hit theaters, made him realize how much creative juice this franchise could have. "By the time it was released, I took a breath and went, 'What if nobody buys it? What if it doesn't work?'" Bell told THR, referencing the risk that came with having 26-year-old Isabelle Fuhrman play a character who was meant to be believable as a young child. 

"It was such an easy layup way to critique the movie: 'Give me a break, she doesn't look like a little kid,'" Bell said. "But if you want to go along for the ride, it's a fun ride. And I was so pleasantly surprised that audiences pretty much across the board bought into it." It was that game response from horror fans that led Bell to say, "Oh wow, we could make these movies forever." The movie reportedly made $37 million at the box office, much of it internationally. 

Still, the pursuit of future sequels seems less about raking in cash and more about getting creative with a franchise that's known for its ludicrous and campy — yet super entertaining — plotlines. Bell said writer David Coggeshall told him he wants to keep writing "Orphan" films because, "There's such a freedom. You get to kind of do anything." In the first installment in the series, "anything" meant revealing a sweet orphan girl to be an adult killer posing as a cute adoptee. In the second, the film followed in the footsteps of the wild documentary "The Imposter" to tell the story of a family who pretended Fuhrman's character was their long-lost daughter in order to cover up a dark secret.

Bell said that given the completely new story the second film followed, "The franchise's rulebook has been opened up to where anything is possible." He likened the titular character, whose real name is Leena, to Hannibal Lecter, and noted that Fuhrman "could play the part as many times as she wants to, as long as it's still fun and rewarding." We can't wait to see what deranged crimes Leena commits next.

The third "Orphan" film does not yet have a title or release date.