‘The First Omen’: First Image Teases the Upcoming ‘The Omen’ Prequel!! Check It Out!!

Nell Tiger Free is in the jaws of evil in the first look at The First Omen. The horror prequel will hit theaters April 5, 2024. In the first image released from the upcoming prequel to the 1976 horror hit, Free stands at an altar, surrounded by votive candles in the not-so subtle shape of a demonic face – with Free caught in the face’s fanged mouth.

She will play a young American woman who is sent to Rome to serve the Roman Catholic Church – only to find herself questioning her faith as she is drawn into a horrific conspiracy to bring the ultimate evil into the world. The film will also star Tawfeek Barhom (The Rhythm Section), Sonia Braga (Kiss of the Spider Woman), Ralph Ineson (The Witch), and Bill Nighy (Living).

the-first-omen-social-featured — Image via 20th Century Studios

What Is ‘The Omen’?

1976’s The Omen starred Gregory Peck as American diplomat Robert Thorn, who secretly adopted an orphaned infant after his own son was stillborn. Five years later, a series of bizarre and gruesome misfortunes begin to follow the boy, Damien, and Robert soon learns that he has fallen prey to a conspiracy to birth the Antichrist. Directed by Richard Donner and featuring a bone-chilling score by the great Jerry Goldsmith, The Omen‘s production was fraught with peril, with cast and crew encountering seemingly supernatural obstacles, but it paid off; it was one of the highest-grossing movies of 1976. It went on to spawn a horror franchise with two theatrical sequels: 1978’s Damien: Omen II, and 1981’s Omen III: The Final Conflict, in which a now-grown Damien was played by Sam Neill. A fourth installment, Omen IV: The Awakening, premiered on TV in 1991. A remake starring Liev Schreiber and Julia Stiles was released in 2006, to good financial returns but little critical acclaim. The franchise also branched out into episodic TV with Damien, which briefly aired on A&E in 2016.

The First Omen is directed by Arkasha Stevenson (Legion, Brand New Cherry Flavor); it will be her first feature. The film is based on characters created by David Seltzer in the original Omen, with a story by Ben Jacoby and a screenplay by Tim Smith, Stevenson, and Keith Thomas. David S. Goyer and Keith Levine will produce; Smith, Whitney Brown, and Gracie Wheelan will executive produce.