A prequel to the hit 1976 horror film The Omen is in the works with Antonio Campos in negotiations to direct.
The latest chapter in the franchise will be called The First Omen and is set to explore the events that led to Damien’s birth.
The news arrives 40 years after the first film became a surprise success, taking over $60m (£41m) at the box office, with a $2.8m budget. It spawned three sequels, the last of which was made for TV, as well as a 2006 remake starring Liev Schreiber and Julia Stiles. It made a profit theatrically but received largely negative reviews. In the New York Times, Stephen Holden called it “supremely unnecessary”.
The story has also been transported to the small screen for the TV series Damien, which is currently airing in the US. It’s been met with poor reviews and diminishing ratings.
Campos’ first two films, the thrillers Simon Killer and Afterschool, met critical approval, while his latest film, Christine, a real-life drama about a reporter who killed herself on live television, received a five-star review from the Guardian’s Nigel M Smith when it premiered at the Sundance film festival earlier this year.
