This'll be hard to believe for some of FANGORIA's older readers, but it's been nearly 50 years since Richard Donner's The Omen landed in theaters. Donner's film tells the story of a young boy named Damien, whose adoptive family begins to suspect that he may well be the Antichrist (spoiler alert: the boy ain't right), and even after all these years Donner's original hasn't lost an ounce of its punch.
Now, in 2024, we're getting a new entry in the Omen franchise (note: there have been many sequels to and one remake of The Omen) a prequel directed by Arkasha Stevenson. Here's an official plot synopsis...
"When 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. The First Omen stars Nell Tiger Free (Servant), Tawfeek Barhom (Mary Magdalene), Sonia Braga (Kiss of the Spider Woman), Ralph Ineson (The Northman), and Bill Nighy (Living)."
...and here's the The First Omen's just-released first trailer:
Scored to the soothing and sinister sounds of Fever Ray's "If I Had a Heart," the first trailer for The First Omen strikes us as pretty damn impressive. What's here looks beautifully shot and appropriately ominous, and we're very curious to see how Stevenson's film dovetails with the first (I mean, we have our suspicions, but we're willing to allow for a few unexpected curveballs along the way). Consider us intrigued, 20th Century!
The First Omen hits theaters on April 5th. Do stay tuned between now and then for any further updates that might come along (we're guessing there'll be at least one more trailer), and while you're doing that: be sure to check out Richard Donner's The Omen if you've never gotten around to it!
