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Thirteen years after Orphan was released, audiences will finally get to know the story behind the childlike woman who would kill for a family. Orphan: First Kill is finally coming to screens, with Esther wrapped in velvet ribbons and spattered with blood as she practices her role as the dutiful daughter of unsuspecting parents. The first Orphan film raised many questions amongst audience members who wanted to know more about the murderous 33-year-old masquerading as a minor, and how she came into impersonating children, and brutally murdering her adoptive families.
In Orphan, the manipulative girl found ways to make the family who adopted her feel simultaneously guilty, angry, and uncomfortable, toying with their emotions and turning them on each other before brutally murdering each member in ways that seemed to bring the childlike woman pleasure. Many wondered if the story was true, or rooted in some poor souls' terrifying reality. The upcoming prequel may be, as it parallels a real life story of stolen identity that took place nearly thirty years ago. If you’re looking to learn more about the upcoming film and its possible true crime inspiration, we’ve located everything you need to know before watching the sick and disturbing terror that is Orphan: First Kill.
When Will Orphan: First Kill Be Released?
It was originally rumored that the prequel would be released back in January of this year. After this date came and passed, fans of the original film waited anxiously for news of Esther’s return. Months later the release date of Orphan: First Kill has been officially set for August 19, 2022. According to the latest information, the movie will be releasing in theaters, on Paramount+, and on digital on the same date.
Watch the Orphan: First Kill Trailer
Released by Paramount Pictures on July 13, 2022, the gripping trailer shows just a hint of the horror that will ensue in the upcoming film. In the preview, audiences can see Esther being brought home by her new family, and taking on the role of their missing daughter. The snowy town that the film is set in will surely make the perfect backdrop for another gory story. Ahead of the movie's release, a chilling 15-second teaser was also released on Twitter, which you can check out here:
Will Isabelle Fuhrman Reprise Her Role as Leena/Esther in Orphan: First Kill?
The now 25-year-old actress Isabelle Fuhrman will once again take on the role of the grown woman with hypopituitarism (the hormone disorder that makes the 33-year-old murderer appear to be a child). Fuhrman first took on the role of Leena/Esther for the first Orphan movie, which was filmed in 2007. When filming for this role the actress was only 10 years old portraying an adult woman. Now 15 years older, the film crew is tasked with making the actress appear younger, rather than aging her up. To accomplish this the filmmakers used a combination of techniques, including forced perspective, makeup, and two child actors as body doubles.
Kennedy Irwin, an upcoming young actress and dancer, will portray Young Esther. This casting hints at audiences getting a peak at Leena’s past in Europe, her tumultuous upbringing, and her relationship with her abusive father. Irwin began her acting career in 2020, portraying a masked child in the crime fantasy film Tales From the Hood 3. Her most recent project was the 2021 short film Aubrey, in which she took on the role of the titular character, a young girl who is kidnapped from her already troubled home life.
Who Will Portray Esther’s New Family in Orphan: First Kill?
Julia Stiles will portray the suspicious mother, Katie Mauerova. Stiles is known for her breakout role as the too cool for love Kat in 1999s 10 Things I Hate About You. The Prince And Me actress has stayed busy throughout her career, appearing in a wide array of genres in both film and television. Most recently Stiles took on a recurring role in the Amazon’s Prime comedy series The Lake, in which she portrays a boho-loving evil step-sister who wishes to destroy the family lake house with her bad taste. Orphan: First Kill won’t be the actresses first role in a horror film, having previously starred in the haunted house film Out of the Dark, as well as the 2006 reboot of the horror classic The Omen.
The role of the disillusioned father, Richard Mauerova, will be taken on by Possessor actor Rossif Sutherland. Sutherland is known for his starring role in the 2015 thriller titled River, in which he plays a volunteer doctor in Laos who goes on the run after saving a young woman from an assault, and her attacker's body is found in the nearby river. Sutherland brought intense emotion to this role, where he struggles with the reality of his actions. Audiences hope to see an equally raw performance from Sutherland in his role as Richard.
Matthew Finlan, who will be taking on the role of Gunnar Mauerova, Katie and Richard's son, is an up-and-coming actor known for his role as Jerald Baxter in the Netflix crime drama Brazen, which was released earlier this year. Recently Finlan has taken on a recurring role in the upcoming horror series EZRA, which tells the story of a bloodthirsty gay vampire who leaves his dark home behind for the modern world.
Additionally, Hiro Kanagawa (Star Trek: Discovery) will portray detective Donnar, Samantha Walkes (The Kings of Nappa) will take on the role of child psychologist Dr. Segar, and Officer Leahy will be portrayed by Lauren Cochrane (Fractured).
What Will Orphan: First Kill Be About?
While 2009's Orphan isn’t based on a true story, its upcoming prequel seems to have taken some inspiration from a real-life case of stolen identity, with the writers adding their own gory twists. The true crime event took place in the early nineties, when a young teenage boy went missing from his hometown in Texas. Three years later his parents received a call from police stating that their son had been found in France. The boy lived with the family for five months before a private investigator analyzed the fingerprints on file for the missing boy and realized that the person in the family's home was not their 16-year-old son, but a 23-year-old French man who saw the missing poster as an opportunity for a new life. After serving six years in a Texas prison, the then-30-year-old fugitive went on to impersonate another three teenage orphaned and missing boys across Europe.
Orphan: First Kill, which tells the tale of Esther's first victims, draws parallels to this stranger-than-fiction story. The film starts with Katie and Richard Mauerova being told that their young daughter, Esther, had finally been found. Esther had gone missing four years prior at the age of six, and officer Leahy warns the parents to be prepared to see changes in their daughter after being away for such a long time. Katie assures her that they have hired a child psychologist to help Esther re-acclimate to her life at home, though the changes in the girl become apparent very quickly, with Esther occasionally slipping into a Russian accent, acting violently, and utilizing skills that she did not have before. Katie and her son Gunnar start to question if the girl really is their beloved Esther, but Richard thinks his wife is paranoid from the trauma of losing her in the first place.
It turns out Katie isn’t the only one questioning the validity of Esther’s identity, and when private detective Donnan compares the newcomers' fingerprints to those on file of the Mauerova’s missing daughter, he realizes that they aren’t a match, and begins to search for answers as to who Esther, or Leena, really is. The paranoid parents soon find their way down the winding path of Leena’s murderous, dark past, her admittance to the Saarne Mental Institute in Estonia, and the truly violent reason she wears the ribbons around her neck. As the family's hushed whispers are heard by an eavesdropping Esther, she decides that she must kill to be part of the family.
Going into this prequel, audiences already know the family's outcome, but the bloody, artful, disturbing journey, and the story of how the character of Esther came to be is what makes this terrifying tale so captivating. Those who watched the original film will remember the shock of learning Esther's true age and identity, and the aching pit in their stomachs as they watched the woman hunt down members of her adoptive family. Fans of the 2009 movie are hoping that this new film will do more than tell Esther's origin story by way of gore, theatrics, and more blindsiding sick twits in the wild plot.
Where Can You Watch Orphan: First Kill?
Paramount Pictures plans to release Orphan: First Kill in select theaters, while simultaneously premiering the film on Paramount+ and video on demand formats. As mentioned above, the movie will be having its digital, streaming, and theatrical release on August 19, 2022. If you dare to rewatch the original Orphan before its petrifying prequel is released, the frightening feature is streamable on Paramount+, and available to purchase through YouTube, Google Play and Apple TV+ for $3.99.