Servant star Nell Tiger Free will star in The First Omen, a prequel to the 1976 horror film The Omen, Deadline reports. The film, which is being developed by 20th Century Fox, will be Free’s first starring role in a major studio film. Details surrounding her character remain under wraps. The film also marks Arkasha Stevenson’s film directorial debut. Stevenson directed the pilot episode of Netflix’s Brand New Cherry Flavor and multiple episodes of FX’s Legion and USA’s Briarpatch.
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The First Omen will be executive produced by Stevenson’s writing partner Tim Smith. Phantom Four’s David S. Goyer and Keith Levine will serve as producers, with Gracie Wheelan overseeing production under the same banner. Plot details and release date remain unknown.
The Omen is one of several 1970s horror classics making its way to the 2000s. Halloween Ends, a continuation in the Halloween franchise, will premiere later this year, while an upcoming Exorcist trilogy is currently in the works.
The Omen Franchise and Its Success
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Following the successful release of the cult classic film The Exorcist in 1973, interest in horror movies was on the rise and film studios began to produce more movies about the occult. The Omen, released in 1976, gained instant popularity and became a box office hit, grossing over $60M.
The original film stars Gregory Peck, Lee Remick and Harvey Stephens and was directed by Richard Donner. Peck stars as American Ambassador Robert Thorn, who resides in Italy with his pregnant wife, Katherine. Their biological son dies shortly after birth, but Thorn keeps that information from his wife after being convinced to take an orphaned baby whose mother had died. After mysterious happenings surround the child, Damien, Thorn begins to believe that Damien may be the antichrist.
The Omen’s sequel, Damien: Omen II, follows the titular character throughout his teenage years. Viewers are later introduced to an adult Damien in The Omen III: The Final Conflict. In 2006, a reboot of the original starring Liev Schreiber, Julia Stiles and David Thewlis grossed $120M worldwide.
