Before Damien was born in Richard Donner’s infamous 1976 horror classic “The Omen,” a Vatican-adjacent conspiracy to bring the Devil to Earth made for a sinful demonic ploy.
“The Omen” prequel “The First Omen” is the latest installment in modern horror franchises and reboots, following the original film which chronicled an American ambassador (Gregory Peck) who adopts a son who turns out to be the antichrist. The film was remade in 2006 by then-20th Century Fox, and landed the short-lived 2016 sequel series, “Damien.” Now, 20th Century Studios’ “The First Omen” attempts to capture where all that satanic worship kicked off.
The film’s official synopsis reads: “When a young American woman (Nell Tiger Free) is sent to Rome to begin a life of service to the church, she encounters a darkness that causes her to question her own faith and uncovers a terrifying conspiracy that hopes to bring about the birth of evil incarnate.”
The film also stars Tawkeef Barhom, Sonia Braga, Ralph Ineson, and Bill Nighy. “Legion” helmer Arkasha Stevenson directs and co-wrote the screenplay with Tim Smith and Keith Thomas based on a story by Ben Jacoby, using characters created by David Seltzer.
“The First Omen” is produced by David S. Goyer and Keith Levine, with screenwriter Smith, Whitney Brown, and Gracie Wheelan executive producing. “The First Omen” is the latest revived classic horror franchise, with Blumhouse and Universal’s recent “The Exorcist: Believer” bringing back original star Ellen Burstyn. David Gordon Green, who also directed the “Halloween” trilogy revival, helmed “The Exorcist: Believer,” a fall 2023 hit despite bad reviews.
Green told IndieWire that while “there’s no way that a sequel, reboot, or remake can ever be as profound and shocking” as 1973’s “The Exorcist,” modern filmmakers can “continue the story of characters we love and meet them in a contemporary world.” Ditto “The First Omen,” we can certainly hope.
More recent horror films like “M3GAN,” “The Black Phone,” and “It Follows” recently announced respective sequels. Meanwhile, horror mega-producer Jason Blum’s Blumhouse and director James Wan’s Atomic Monster announced their merger was complete on January 2. Together, the respective companies have earned more than $8.5 billion at the box office since 2004 and November 2022, when the merger was first announced.
Produced by Phantom Four, “The First Omen” premieres April 5 in theaters from 20th Century Studios, whose recent horror releases include “Barbarian” and “The Boogeyman.” The studio is obviously hoping to capitalize on the Blumhouse phenomenon. Check out the trailer below.
