“The Omen” gets a prequel with indie director

PanARMENIAN.Net - Back in mid '70s, "The Omen" was so popular that the boy character's name Damien became a pop culture and the film spawned fears for baby swapping and evil nannies. And now, almost 40 years later, a prequel to the classic horror is in the works, AceShowbiz said.

The 20th Century Fox is planning to develop "The First Omen" using the script from "Bleed" scribe Ben Jacoby, THR has reported. David Goyer is producing via his Phantom Four banner and indie director Antonio Campos is in negotiations to direct.

Campos has been developing a resume in horror and thriller genre. He wrote and directed the 2012 thriller "Simon Killer" and is the director of this year's "Christine". The latter movie, which will head to Sundance and open in theaters this October, is a biographical drama about TV anchor Christine Chubbuck who shot herself on the head during a live television broadcast.

Details about "The First Omen" are still kept under wraps but there are a lot of materials to dig on. The original film and the 2006 reboot starring Liev Schreiber and Julia Stiles had never deeply explored the story before Damien's arrival. Cable network A&E is now airing "Damien", a series based on the horror film which follows the grown-up version of the character.