With the success of its Psycho-inspired Bates Motel, A&E is venturing further into horror territory for its Omen-inspired original series Damien. Picking up with the future Antichrist as an adult (played by Bradley James), the series looks set to deliver deeply unsettling visuals and sinister voice-overs, if this teaser is any indication.
Of course, it’s really impossible to figure out what the tone of the series is from this brief snippet, but the message is eerie all the same. “I imagine you don’t remember much,” a disembodied female voice coos. “That will change. It’s so good to see you again, Damien.”
The Rottweilers delivering that message seems like a tough sell unless the visual effects in the finished product are a little better than seen in the teaser, but this is more of an announcement than anything else. The 10-episode series, exec-produced and written by former Walking Dead shot-caller Glen Mazzara, will arrive on the network sometime next year. Back when the series was set for Lifetime, that network’s Executive Vice President and General Manager Rob Sharenow said of the character:
“Glen Mazzara has re-imagined him as a dark, romantic, anti-hero and this fresh take blends complex characters with premium storytelling to make something truly original.”
It remains to be seen whether people want to see Damien, the creepy little kid from 1976’s The Omen, as a romantic anti-hero, presumably bedding women and gradually accepting his destiny as a (really) bad boy, ushering in the apocalypse by merely continuing to exist. Of note – people were similarly apprehensive about Bates Motel, especially when Charlie and the Chocolate Factory actor Freddie Highmore was cast as Norman, but its three seasons have succeeded at expanding and reworking the Psycho mythos in a mostly satisfying way, so I’m inclined to give Damien the benefit of the doubt for now.
