A prequel to The Omen, Richard Donner’s 1976 horror classic about a little boy who just happens to be the Antichrist, has been in the works for several years. Titled The First Omen (of course!), 20th Century Studios’ prequel finally has a trailer.
The new trailer for The First Omen employs some reverse-editing (Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 fans, where you at) to up the creep factor, and it’s pretty effective. There isn’t much in the way of dialogue, but the vibes are pretty good. Nell Tiger Free plays a young novitiate who is tempted away from her calling—seduced by Satan himself, it seems, and based on the last line of the trailer, she may have gotten knocked up with a devil baby.
The First Omen will hit theaters on April 5, 2024. 20th Century Studios previously released a still from the film, featuring Servant star Nell Tiger Free—looking the way I probably would if you dragged my grumpy goth ass into a church and made me pose for a photo surrounded by a bunch of Yankee candles.
Donner’s The Omen starred Gregory Peck as an American diplomat in Rome who adopts a little boy named Damien and begins suspecting that he is the Antichrist (spoiler: he’s right). The First Omen starts as “a young American woman 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.” Uncovering a Satanic conspiracy—in Rome!—sounds way more fun than reciting the rosary several dozen times a day, but I guess your mileage may vary.
In addition to Nell Tiger Free, The First Omen stars Bill Nighy, Sonia Braga, and Ralph Ineson (The Witch).
The prequel is the feature directorial debut of Arkasha Stevenson, who previously directed episodes of Channel Zero: Butcher’s Block, Brand New Cherry Flavor, and Legion—three series with highly stylized aesthetics and incredibly visceral horror imagery. The First Omen was written by Stevenson, Tim Smith (a co-producer on Channel Zero and Brand New Cherry Flavor), and Keith Thomas (Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities).
20th Century Studios was also behind recent horror prequel Prey, a damn fine film you can watch on Hulu—where The First Omen will inevitably end up sometime after its theatrical run.
(featured image: 20th Century Studios)
