Almost 50 (!) years after the original, an absolute horror classic gets a prequel: trailer for “The First Omen”

The great horror franchises of film history are rarely completely buried, even after supposedly final installments, but always return in the form of remakes, reboots or even belated sequels and prequels. In addition to cult brands such as ‘Halloween’ or ‘The Exorcist’, this also applies to ‘The Omen’.

The diabolical classic, which began in 1976, had already spawned three sequels in the early 1990s – until a successful, but mixed-reception, new edition from “Die Hard 5” director John Moore in 2006. Although there have been repeated attempts to bring back the murderous demon Damien since then (for example in a short-lived sequel series named after him in 2016), the series was very quiet for a long time. But that changes now:

Of “The first omen“A long-planned prequel to the original will actually hit theaters in 2024, in which an American ambassador became increasingly convinced that his five-year-old adopted son was the offspring of the devil himself.

The birth of the Antichrist

“The First Omen” will premiere in the US on April 5, 2024. There is no German date for the film yet, but it should be very close to the US date. A trailer now gives at least a first impression of the occult shocker. It centers on an American woman who takes a position in a church in Rome and stumbles upon a sinister conspiracy aimed at bringing about the birth of the Antichrist.

The cast includes “Game Of Thrones” and “Servant” young star Nell Tiger Free, “Pirates of the Caribbean 2” villain Bill Nighy and “The Witch” father Ralph Ineson. The latter will play Father Brennan, known from the original (then played by Patrick Troughton).

Arkasha Stevenson is in charge of production and made her feature directorial debut after shooting individual episodes of series such as ‘Legion’, ‘Brand New Cherry Flavor’ and ‘Channel Zero’.