The Omen prequel in the works from the director of Legion

A prequel to The Omen is in development from 20th Century Studios. Entitled The First Omen, this will sit before the original 1976 movie in the chronology of The Omen film franchise.

Per Deadline, the new movie already has a director attached. Arkasha Stevenson will be making her feature directorial debut with the project after helming episodes of Legion and Briarpatch. Stevenson has also directed several episodes of Syfy’s horror series Channel Zero.

The movie is set for a rewrite, which Stevenson will work on with writing partner Tim Smith. David S. Goyer’s Phantom Four will be producing, known for their previous involvement with Apple TV Plus’s Foundation and Hulu’s Hellraiser. 

So far, no plot details have been confirmed for the horror prequel. The original movie is a cult classic directed by Richard Donner and written by David Seltzer. It followed a young child called Damien Thorn, who was replaced at birth by his father. His mother isn’t aware of the swap, which happened after their first child died. 

However, things start going wrong as Damien grows up. A series of violent deaths start happening as well as some mysterious events in and around their home. This leads the family to discover Damien is actually the Antichrist. The movie starred Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner, Harvey Spencer Stephens, and Billie Whitelaw.

The Omen spawned into a franchise with several sequels, including Damien: Omen II, Omen III: The Final Conflict, and Omen IV: The Awakening. In 2006, the original film was remade with Liev Schreiber, Julia Stiles and David Thewlis. However, this will be the first prequel movie.

Stuck on what to watch? Check out our guide to the best horror movies of all time.