It appears that the horror franchise which started with The Omen in 1976 will soon be returning to life. This time, however, fans will be given a prequel to the events that transpired in the original Omen film.
This information comes via Deadline, where it was revealed that the project is in development at 20th Century Studios. As they revealed:
“20th Century Studios is in development on The First Omen, a prequel to the original 1976 Fox movie The Omen, with Legion and Briarpatch episodic director Arkasha Stevenson making her feature directorial debut.”
Interestingly, Arkasha Stevenson is also involved with a rewrite of the film’s script.
“Stevenson will also handle the rewrite, alongside writing partner Tim Smith. Smith is set to executive produce with Phantom Four producing.”
As for those producing for Phantom Four, it’s been revealed that David S. Goyer and Keith Levine are attached, along with Gracie Wheelan overseeing for the production label.
This is obviously a project in its early stages. However, it was previously in the works before. In fact, the first discussions for a prequel to The Omen occurred in 2016. While it’s unclear if any story details from the film’s previous development cycle will be carried over, it does appear that there’s more energy in this attempt to revive the project. With Disney’s 20th Century Studios involved, it seems likely that there will be an additional incentive in reviving this IP for the screen.
The last film installment in the franchise was released in 2006. The film, titled The Omen, was a complete remake of its 1976 predecessor. As for the original film, however, it was followed with the theatrical sequels Damien: Omen II in 1978 and Omen III: The Final Conflict in 1981. A fourth film, a TV movie titled Omen IV: The Awakening, was released in 1991. The most recent installment was a TV series titled Damien released in 2016 that directly followed the events of the original film.