Nell Tiger Free to Lead ‘The Omen’ Prequel ‘First Omen’
The story is a mystery for now, but first-time director Arkasha Stevenson is aboard and has also co-written the latest draft of the script.
Nell Tiger Free in “Servant,” now streaming on Apple TV+.
Though it sometimes feels like legacy sequels – often taking the same name as the original film such as ‘Halloween’ or ‘Scream’ seem to be all the rage on the horror front right now, there is apparently still room for prequels.
In actual fact, a prequel to 1970s horror classic ‘The Omen’ has been in the works for several years now, dating back to at least 2016, that dim and distant time when 20th Century Studios was still called 20th Century Fox and wasn’t owned by Disney.
Yet while the big merger probably put a crimp in development, the movie is still making its way through the usual pathways to screens, called ‘First Omen’. And in the latest progress report has Nell Tiger Free cast in the lead.
There have been some changes behind the scenes, though – while David S. Goyer and Keith Levine are still aboard as producers, original chosen director Antonio Campos (who also made ‘Simon Killer' and ‘Afterschool’) is no longer attached.
Instead, Arkasha Stevenson, whose resume is mostly full of short films and work on TV series such as FX’s ‘Legion’ and mystery thriller ‘Briarpatch’, will make her feature-length directorial debut on the movie.
And though Ben Jacoby wrote the original script, Stevenson has been at work on a new draft with co-writer Tim Smith.
Harvey Spencer Stephens as Damien Thorn in 1976's 'The Omen.'
Plot details are a mystery so far – there’s no word, for example as to whether the word ‘First’ in the title refers to an antichrist story set years before the original movie or if it might chart the buildup to the story explored there, and the dark forces gathering to carry out the Devil’s wishes.
Richard Donner’s 1976 film starred Gregory Peck as an ambassador who comes to suspect that his five-year-old son Damien might just be the antichrist. The movie was a huge success upon release and has long since entered the horror hall of fame, preying upon fears of swapped children and evil nannies .
It spawned two sequels, a series of novels and was remade in 2006 by Fox, with John Moore directing. There was even a short-lived TV spin-off, featuring a grown Damien (played by Bradley James) discovering his origin and wrangling with life as the antichrist. Despite the presence of ‘Walking Dead’ veteran Glen Mazzara running the show, it only lasted for one 10-episode season.
As for Free, she knows a thing or two about creepy danger and strange children, having spent the last few years as one of the stars of ‘Servant’, the Apple TV+ series about a grieving couple trying to move on from the death of their child by using a plastic substitute and who hire a seemingly sweet nanny (Free) who turns out to have dark connections.
Given that it’s still at a relatively early stage, ‘First Omen’ doesn’t have a release date yet.
Nell Tiger Free in “Servant,” now streaming on Apple TV+.
