Orphan (film series)

Last updated

Orphan
Orphan film series logo.jpg
Official film series logo
Based onCharacters
by Alex Mace
Starring Isabelle Fuhrman
Production
company
Distributed by
Release dates
  • July 24, 2009 (2009-07-24)(Orphan)
  • August 19, 2022 (2022-08-19)(First Kill)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget> ~$40,000,000
Cumulative total of 3 films) [1] [2]
Box office$124,355,110
(Cumulative total of 2 released films) [1] [2]

The Orphan film series, [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] consists of American psychological slasher-horror movies, based on characters created by Alex Mace and starring Isabelle Fuhrman in the primary role; consisting of a theatrical film, a hybrid limited theatrical-VOD-streaming prequel, and its sequel described as an "inbetweenquel" in production. [8] The plot centers around a psychopathic serial killer Estonian named Leena Klammer who lives with a hypopituitarism hormonal condition which caused proportionate dwarfism, and allows her to pose as an orphaned child. Taking on the alias of Esther Albright, Leena repeatedly orchestrates scenarios where she can victimize her would-be adoptive parents. Each installment follows the attempts of survival by adopters, while Leena sadistically manipulates their marriages, tortures and kills her adopted families.

Contents

While the movies received mixed critical reception, [9] [10] each installment turned a profit at the box office. [1] [2] The series garnered a fanbase, and through retrospective modern analysis, the original earned its status as a cult classic within its genre. [11] [12] [13]

Films

TitleDirectorScreenwriterStory byProducer(s)
Orphan Jaume Collet-Serra David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick Alex Mace Joel Silver, Susan Downey, Jennifer Davisson Killoran and Leonardo DiCaprio
Orphan: First Kill William Brent Bell David CoggeshallDavid Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick
and Alex Mace		Alex Mace, Hal Sadoff, Ethan Erwin and James Tomlinson
Orphans David CoggeshallAlex Mace

Orphan (2009)

Kate and John Coleman begin to rebuild their estranged marriage, after the passing of their stillborn baby named Jessica. Together they determine to adopt, welcome a 9-year-old Estonian orphan named Esther into their family. The family works together to have meaningful relationships with Esther, though this proves difficult as their son Daniel has strained interactions and their deaf and mute daughter Max struggles to have a legitimate bond. Through a series of troublesome events, Kate begins to question Esther's mental state. As he continues to grow closer to his adoptive daughter, John refuses to acknowledge the concerns that the rest of the family sees as behavioral trouble. Kate begins to investigate the background of her adoptive daughter and to her horror discovers that Esther is actually a full-grown woman named Leena Klammer and violent serial killer with a hormonal hypopituitarism which caused a rare medical case of proportionate dwarfism, and previously escaped the Saarne Institute mental hospital. Realizing her family is in danger, Kate frantically works to save the lives of those closest to her before Leena can kill again. [14] [15] [16]

Orphan: First Kill (2022)

Prior to being adopted by the Coleman family, Leena Klammer expertly orchestrates her escape from the Estonian mental hospital known as the Saarne Institute by seduction and murder. Making her way to Russia, Leena cons local authorities into believing she is a missing American child named Esther Albright. Upon notification that their lost daughter has been found, the wealthy couple Allen and Tricia Albright travel to retrieve her before returning home. As questions begin to arise, Tricia and their son Gunnar rightfully doubt that Esther has returned to them. As the truth is revealed, Tricia frantically works to protect her family from the mechanicians for the socio-psychopath determined to murder again. [17] [18] [19]

Orphans (TBA)

In August 2022, when asked about his approach to making the sequel, Bell stated that there would need to be a third film in order for Orphan to be considered a franchise. [20] Later, Fuhrman expressed interest in continuing to portray the character in additional films. Bell later stated that should the prequel prove to be successful, a third film could be developed. The filmmaker expressed interest in exploring a darker third installment that would complete a full story of Leena Klammer/Esther, while stating that there could be multiple sequels:

...Isabelle [Fuhrman] is so passionate about the character – [she] can play this character forever… there's a lot to that character, and I think in the future stories, she would probably become a bit more cold-hearted again. [21]

Fuhrman confirmed that discussions for a third film, among the creatives and studio are ongoing, stating that there would not be another "13 years this time around" before a sequel is developed. [22] In December 2023, it was announced that a third film was officially in development.

In November 2024, Dark Castle announced that a third film had been green-lit by Lionsgate, which would launch the project at the American Film Market. Brent Bell and Coggeshall is set to return as director and screenwriter, while Isabelle Fuhrman reprises her role as Esther. [23] Fuhrman later expressed excitement, stating that the quality of the script is what convinced her to sign on to the project. [24] By April 2025, the actress stated that the next installment will be an 'inbetweenquel' as it will depict separate events that take place after Orphan (2009), as well as the prequel Orphan: First Kill (2022). [25] Principal photography commenced on November 10, 2025, [26]

Main cast and characters

List indicators

This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in more than two films in the series.

CharacterFilms
Orphan Orphan: First Kill Orphans
Leena Klammer
Esther Albright–Coleman		 Isabelle Fuhrman
Kate Coleman Vera Farmiga
John Coleman Peter Sarsgaard
Daniel Coleman Jimmy Bennett
Max Coleman Aryana Engineer
Grandma Barbara Coleman Rosemary Dunsmore
Tricia Albright Julia Stiles
Allen Albright Rossif Sutherland
Gunner AlbrightMatthew Finlan

Additional crew and production details

FilmCrew/Detail
Composer(s)CinematographerEditorProduction
companies		Distributing
companies		Running time
Orphan John Ottman Jeff CutterTim Alverson Dark Castle Entertainment,
Appian Way Productions 		Warner Bros. Pictures]2 hrs 3 mins
Orphan: First Kill Brett Detar Karim Hussain Josh EthierDark Castle Entertainment,
Entertainment One,
Eagle Vision 		Paramount Pictures,
Paramount+ 		1 hr 38 mins
Orphans TBA Maxime Alexandre TBADark Castle Entertainment,
Eagle Vision,
Gnosis Moving Pictures		 Lionsgate Studios TBA

Reception

Box office and financial performance

FilmBox office grossBox office rankingTotal home
video sales		BudgetWorldwide net
total income		Ref.
North AmericaOther territoriesWorldwideAll-time
North America		All-time
worldwide
Orphan $41,596,251$37,173,177$78,769,428#2,297#2,327$16,379,048$20,000,000$75,148,476 [1] [27]
Orphan: First Kill $5,413,227$40,172,455$45,585,682#6,636#3,452$439,692~$20,000,000≥$26,025,374 [2] [28] [29]
Orphans TBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBATBDTBD—

Critical and public response

Film Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic CinemaScore
Orphan60% (163 reviews) [9] 42/100 (25 reviews) [30] B- [31]
Orphan: First Kill69% (150 reviews) [10] 54/100 (27 reviews) [32] —
OrphansTBDTBDTBD

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Orphan (2009)". The Numbers . Nash Information Services LLC. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Orphan: First Kill". The Numbers. Nash Information Services LLC. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  3. ↑ Coman, Monica (November 9, 2025). "16 Years Later After Original, Hit Horror Movie Series' Third Installment Gets Exciting Update". Comic Book Resource. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  4. ↑ Peralta, Diego (November 4, 2024). "'Orphan 3' Is Officially Happening, Here's Who's Returning". Collider. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  5. ↑ Hamman, Cody (April 2025). "Isabelle Fuhrman promises "wilder and crazier" twists in Orphan 3". JoBlo. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  6. ↑ Dressler, Jacob (April 18, 2025). "'Orphan 3' Is "Both" A Prequel And Sequel". ScreenGeek. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  7. ↑ The Express Tribune staff (November 11, 2025). "First look hints at Isabelle Fuhrman's chilling return as 'Orphan 3' takes shape". The Express Tribune. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  8. ↑ T, Amber (November 10, 2025). "ORPHAN 3 Gets Official Title As Filming Begins". Fangoria. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  9. 1 2 "Orphan". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  10. 1 2 "Orphan: First Kill". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  11. ↑ Malhotra, Rahul (September 24, 2024). "Roger Ebert Loved This Cult Horror Film and Now It Has a New Streaming Home". Collider. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  12. ↑ Cusano, Melissa Rose (January 15, 2022). "Orphan: How First Kill De-Aged Isabelle Fuhrman To Play 8-Year-Old Esther". Screen Rant. Retrieved November 11, 2025. The thriller is a prequel to the modern cult classic Orphan (2009), a film about a 33-year-old woman who looks like a child due to a growth deformity, who torments (and eventually kills) her adopted families.
  13. ↑ McG, Andrew (March 7, 2023). "Explained: Is Orphan Based Off a True Story?". MovieWeb. Retrieved November 11, 2025. Orphan is an eerie watch that received mixed reviews from critics but has since become a cult classic and is currently admired as a unique psychological horror film.
  14. ↑ Honeycutt, Kirk (July 22, 2009). "Orphan — Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  15. ↑ Ebert, Roger (July 22, 2009). "And when she was bad, she was very, very bad". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  16. ↑ Shoard, Catherine (August 6, 2009). "Orphan". The Guardian. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  17. ↑ Tallerico, Brian (August 19, 2022). "Orphan: First Kill". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  18. ↑ Lattanzio, Ryan (August 19, 2022). "'Orphan: First Kill' Review: Isabelle Fuhrman Is Marvelously Deranged in a Prequel That Should Satisfy Fans". IndieWire. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  19. ↑ Felperin, Leslie (August 15, 2022). "Orphan: First Kill review – horror prequel is parasitical in all the wrong ways". The Guardian. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  20. ↑ McAndrews, Mary Beth (August 15, 2022). "'Orphan: First Kill' Director William Brent Bell A Massive Fan Of The Original". Dread Central. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  21. ↑ Kraft, Tim (August 15, 2022). "Exclusive: Director William Brent Bell on Twist in Orphan: First Kill, Says 'Trilogy Can Tell a Full Story'". MovieWeb. Archived from the original on August 17, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  22. ↑ Kraft, Tim (August 16, 2022). "Exclusive: Isabelle Fuhrman on Playing Esther in Orphan: First Kill, has 'Been Asked About Orphan 3' by Team". MovieWeb. Archived from the original on August 17, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  23. ↑ Ritman, Alex (November 4, 2024). "'Orphan 3' Officially Announced, Lionsgate Launching Dark Castle's Horror Threequel at AFM (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety . Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  24. ↑ Davids, Brian (January 22, 2025). "Isabelle Fuhrman Talks Julia Stiles' 'Wish You Were Here' Gift and the 'Orphan 3' Script: "It's So Good"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  25. ↑ Jenkins, Jason (April 7, 2025). "Isabelle Fuhrman Teases 'Orphan 3'; "Wilder and Crazier" [Exclusive]". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
  26. ↑ Squires, John (November 10, 2025). "'Orphan 3' – Filming Now Underway On "Crazier" Third Franchise Installment". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  27. ↑ "Orphan (2009)". Box Office Mojo . IMDb . Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  28. ↑ "Orphan: First Kill". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  29. ↑ Romanchick, Shane (August 30, 2022). "Orphan: First Kill Slices Up $6 Million at the Box Office". Collider. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  30. ↑ "Orphan". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  31. ↑ "CinemaScore". CinemaScore . Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  32. ↑ "Orphan: First Kill". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
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