Now, it’s a franchise!

Lionsgate just announced a third movie in it’s popular Orphan franchise, once again to star Isabelle Fuhrman as problem child Esther. William Brent Bell and David Coggeshall return from Orphan: First Kill to direct and write, respectively, for Dark Castle Entertainment.

“Dark Castle is excited to announce another terrifying chapter in the Orphan saga,” said Norman Golightly, Co-CEO of Dark Castle in a statement. “With the past success of the first two movies and another thrilling storyline, we are confident that Orphan 3 will be a must-see movie for both current fans of the franchise, and new fans alike.”

Lionsgate is launching the project at the American Film Market this week.

No details have been released, including an answer to the crucial question of whether this will be another prequel to the original Orphan, or an unlikely sequel. At the end of Orphan, Esther (also known as Leena in that film) was killed when her adoptive mother (Vera Farmiga) snapped her neck, a hard injury to come back from.

But in horror franchises, nothing is impossible, so don’t rule that out. After all, in First Kill, thanks to some creative camera work and makeup, 25-year-old Fuhrmann played Esther as a nine-year-old. 13 years earlier Furhmann [SPOILER ALERT!] had played Esther as an adult trying to pass as a child, back when Fuhrmann was only 12.

The entire franchise between two movies has thus far grossed more than $122 million. The 2009 original movie was released by Warner Bros and made over $78M. First Kill was released in 2022 simultaneously in theaters and on its streaming platform by Paramount and racked up $44M worldwide.