So, Uh, They’re Making A Prequel To ORPHAN Now…

Note: This article will contain spoilers for 2009's Orphan.

Note #2: Oh, and 1995's The Usual Suspects.

Jaume Collet-Serra's Orphan arrived over a decade ago. It wasn't embraced by critics at the time of its release (racking up a middling 56% on Rotten Tomatoes), but the film did turn a tidy little profit for WB/Dark Castle, and in the years since its arrival has undergone something of a rediscovery amongst genre fans who've found themselves drawn to the film's utterly batshit-crazy twists and turns. Indeed, Orphan's biggest twist is basically the reason to see that movie.

Naturally, they are now making a prequel to it.

Esther, to be directed by Brahms: The Boy II's William Brent Bell and written by David Coggeshall, will tell the backstory of Orphan's titular anti-heroine, which...well, that would seem to eliminate any reason to see Collet-Serra's film, but maybe the folks behind Esther are operating under the assumption that, if you wanted to see Orphan by now, you would have. Here's how Deadline's describing the film:

"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."

We are, of course, bored with the idea of prequels in general, and as fans of Collet-Serra's original film we're not terribly amused to hear this is going on. It's hard to imagine - given all the time that's passed, and given how limited the original's fanbase really is - why this would be happening. It's also hard to understand why you'd wanna make a prequel that'd undermine the entire point of another film. It'd be like making a Usual Suspects prequel, starring Kevin Spacey, about the misadventures of a slightly-younger Keyser Soze (I mean, that'd be a bad idea for multiple reasons, but you know what I mean). But then again, what do we know? Maybe this is a great idea.

In any event, Esther is expected to begin shooting later this year. Tell all your friends who haven't seen Orphan to get on that immediately, and stay tuned for further updates on this one as they roll in.