Last month, 20th Century Studios debuted a creepily effective first teaser trailer for The First Omen, and Legion and Briarpatch director Arkasha Stevenson's horror prequel has now been given a rating that should make genre fans very happy.
The First Omen has been rated R for: “Violent content, grisly/disturbing images, and brief graphic nudity.”
Though we have some idea of the plot (see below), we're still not sure exactly how this movie will connect to the original Omen trilogy. Satan made an earlier attempt at birthing the Anti-Christ... presumably? Whatever the case may be, this looks like it has a lot of potential.
Star Nell Tiger Free reportedly landed the lead role thanks to her stellar work as supernatural nanny Leanne Grayson on Apple TV+'s Servant. She also played the unfortunate Myrcella Baratheon in Game of Thrones, and starred in Prime Video's Too Old to Die Young.
Have a look at the previously released teaser trailer in the player below and let us know what you think.
In addition to the trailer, we have a new poster and an updated synopsis.
"When a young American woman is sent to Rome to begin a life of service to the church, she encounters a darkness that causes her to question her own faith and uncovers a terrifying conspiracy that hopes to bring about the birth of evil incarnate. The First Omen stars Nell Tiger Free (Servant), Tawfeek Barhom (Mary Magdalene), Sonia Braga (Kiss of the Spider Woman), Ralph Ineson (The Northman), and Bill Nighy (Living).
The film is directed by Arkasha Stevenson based on characters created by David Seltzer (The Omen), with a story by Ben Jacoby (Bleed) and a screenplay by Tim Smith & Arkasha Stevenson and Keith Thomas (Firestarter). The producers are David S. Goyer (Hellraiser) and Keith Levine (The Night House) and the executive producers are Tim Smith, Whitney Brown (Rosaline), and Gracie Wheelan.
The original movie, which still retains its power to chill, told the story of an American ambassador (Gregory Peck) and his wife (Lee Remick), who slowly come to the realization that their adopted child, Damien, is the son of Satan ("his mother was a jackal!"). The movie spawned a pair of inferior sequels and a 2006 remake which, while technically well-made, completely failed to recapture the dread of the '70s film.
The First Omen is set to arrive in theaters on April 5. Do you plan on checking it out? Drop us a comment down below.