The Omen prequel in the works from the director of Legion

The Omen
(Image credit: Fox)

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.

Fay Watson
Deputy Entertainment Editor

I’m the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering TV and film for the Total Film and SFX sections online. I previously worked as a Senior Showbiz Reporter and SEO TV reporter at Express Online for three years. I've also written for The Resident magazines and Amateur Photographer, before specializing in entertainment.

Read more
Audition movie 1999
The goriest Japanese horror movie I’ve ever seen is getting a modern remake from original Speak No Evil director
Sinners
The most exciting upcoming horror movies coming in 2025 and beyond
Bring Her Back
First teaser for follow-up horror from Talk to Me directors is just as unsettling as I thought it would be
Cloverfield monster
Cloverfield 2 is still moving forward as director teases the long-awaited sequel: "You're gonna get something amazing"
Ethan Hawke as The Grabber in The Black Phone
The Black Phone 2 director reveals the one "main difference" between the original horror movie and its upcoming "more graphic" sequel
Elijah Wood, Clea DuVall, Shawn Hatosy, Josh Hartnett, and Laura Harris in The Faculty (1998)
Almost 30 years on from the original, cult sci-fi horror The Faculty is getting a remake
Latest in Horror Movies
Lady Dimitrescu and Austin Abrams
The new Resident Evil movie may have found a lead in a Euphoria star
Leatherface and Glen Powell
Glenn Powell could be taking a swing at a new Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Jai Courtney in Dangerous Animals
The first trailer for The Suicide Squad star's new serial killer movie makes Jaws look like Finding Nemo
The Bride
Maggie Gyllenhaal’s upcoming horror movie starring Christian Bale and Jessie Buckley gets delayed in big Warner Bros. shake-up
Alison Brie as Millie in new body horror Together
Alison Brie and Dave Franco's body horror with 100% Rotten Tomatoes score gets a chilling first trailer
The ghost of a young woman standing in front of a red door during the Netflix horror series, The Haunting of Hill House.
New Shudder horror starring Haunting of Hill House and Riverdale stars sounds like the perfect mix of The Craft and Mallrats
Latest in News
A screenshot from MindsEye showing a character leaning out of a car, shooting another car with a gun.
GTA veteran says the games industry needs to "get smarter" about what people actually want: "There are so many games, and I think we're starting to feel the effects"
Posing with a rifle in the Fallout 76 Ghoul update
Fallout 76's art director "had to fight really hard" so Bethesda would make the MMO's map bigger than Skyrim's
Minecraft movie image of Jack Black as steve
Don't expect Minecraft to go free-to-play anytime soon, as Mojang says "It doesn't really work with the way we built it"
Yasuke looking over the water to a shrine during sunset in Assassin's Creed Shadows
Assassin's Creed Shadows has an entire island stuffed with adorable kittens you need to check out, and it's based on an actual Japanese cat paradise
phase zero key art showing zombies in a hallway
Former Witcher 3 and Dying Light devs reveal their Resident Evil homage, complete with PS1-style fixed cameras
Shadow of Mordor's Nemesis System was only created because WB Games wanted something to combat Batman Arkham Asylum's second-hand sales, exec says