It looks like we’re going to find out HOW something became very wrong with Esther. It has been announced that director William Brent Bell, who helmed the upcoming Brahms: The Boy II & its predecessor, is set to direct a prequel to Orphan called Esther.
The prequel is written by David Coggeshall & in it, Lena Klammer orchestrates a brilliant escape from a Russian psychiatric facility and travels to America by impersonating the missing daughter of a wealthy family. But Lena’s new life as “Esther” comes with an unexpected wrinkle and pits her against a mother who will protect her family at any cost.
The first film followed a husband and wife who, in the wake of losing their baby, adopt a 9 year-old girl who is not nearly as innocent as she claims to be. The movie, directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, starred Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard, and Isabelle Fuhrman as Esther. Orphan opened to $12.8 million domestic and turned a profit at $41.5 million and near $78 million worldwide.
William Brent Bell seems to love the horror genre. In addition to The Boy series, Bell has directed The Devil Inside, Wer and Stay Alive. He is currently in the final stages of post-production on his next feature, Separation, a Brooklyn-set supernatural thriller starring Rupert Friend and Brian Cox.