Esther is back and more terrifying than ever. Two days after the official trailer for Orphan: First Kill was promised to us, Paramount Pictures delivered.
William Brent Bell, the visionary responsible for the horror hit The Boy (2016) and its sequel, Brahms: The Boy II (2020), signed on to direct the Orphan sequel. Bell is joined by David Coggeshall, the scribe behind The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia (2013). Additionally, Isabelle Fuhrman, who portrays Esther in the first film, reprises her role as the demented 33-year-old Estonian serial killer posing as an orphaned nine-year-old. Julia Stiles will star opposite Fuhrman as Katie, Esther’s original “mother” figure. Rossif Sutherland joins on as Richard, Katie’s husband.
In the trailer, we see Esther make her grand escape from the Estonian psychiatric facility and seeks refuge in Katie and Richard, her soon-to-be parental guardians. Shortly thereafter, mysterious happenings raise suspicion that Esther isn’t all that she seems, and further investigation warrants a cause for concern.
Even better, Esther’s appearance isn’t CGI. Bell and the creative team at Paramount Pictures made the executive decision to steer clear of special effects and instead used makeup, camera trickery and lighting to make now-25-year-old Isabelle Fuhrman look like the nine-year-old Esther from Orphan. Alongside the trailer, Paramount also unveiled the theatrical release poster, which sees Fuhrman posing from behind as Esther with her iconic doll-like dress and double braids.
Paramount Pictures, taking over from Warner Bros. to distribute Orphan: First Kill, exclusively revealed the official synopsis for the prequel, which reads as follows:
Esther’s terrifying saga continues in this thrilling prequel to the original and shocking horror hit, Orphan. After orchestrating a brilliant escape from an Estonian psychiatric facility, Esther travels to America by impersonating the missing daughter of a wealthy family. Yet, an unexpected twist arises that pits her against a mother who will protect her family from the murderous “child” at any cost.
Orphan: First Kill will be showing in select theaters, on digital and streaming on Paramount Plus from Aug. 19, 2022.