AlthoughThe Omenreceived mixed reviews upon its release, it is currently regarded as a horror film classic in most circles. Now, 20th Century Studios is developing a prequel to the horror flick currently titledThe First Omen.
Directed bythe late Richard Donner,The Omentold the story of a man named Robert Thorn who replaced his deceased newborn son with a baby he adopted after the second child’s mother died in childbirth, with Thorn’s wife completely unaware of the switch or her biological son’s death. Several years later, the adopted boy, Damien Thorn, becomes the center of a series of mysterious events and violent deaths that causes Robert Thorn to believe his son is the Antichrist.
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Deadline reports 20th Century Studios has enlisted Arkasha Stevenson to directThe First Omen. While Stevenson’s resume includes directing anepisode of FX’sLegionandBriarpatch,The First Omenwill mark her feature directorial debut. In addition to directing, Stevenson will pen the rewrite of the script with her writing partner Tim Smith, with the latter also serving as an executive producer.The Dark Knighttrilogy scribe David S. Goyer and Keith Levine will produce for Phantom Four, while Gracie Wheelan will oversee the project for the company.
At the time of its release in 1976,The Omenearned over $60 million at the domestic box office. The financial success of the film resulted in two sequels,Damien: Omen II(1978) andOmen III: The Final Conflict(1981), neither of which performed as well as their predecessor. A Canadian made-for-television fourth film titledOmen IV: The Awakeningwas released in 1991, though it failed to result in the many TV-exclusiveOmensequels that producers had hoped for. Finally,The Omenwas re-imagined in 2006 with Liev Schreiber and Julia Stiles as the Thorn couple, thoughthe horror remake also failedto capture the magic of the original film.
At this time, there aren’t any story details regardingThe First Omen, though its title alone suggests it will focus on a narrative unrelated to the Thorn family or Damien, though this is merely speculation. As development moves along, fans will certainly learn more about the prequel in the years and months ahead, but for the time being, perhaps fans can rest easy knowing20th Century Studiosis at least attempting to tell a new horror tale as opposed to directly remaking the originalOmenagain.
The First Omenis currently in development at 20th Century Studios
