Good news Walking Dead fans, producer Glen Mazzara is sticking to his horror guns and lining up a continuation of the ever-sinister Omen franchise. Titled Damien, the show will center on the Antichrist, Damien Thorn, and his legacy as Satan’s son. Following the events of the preceding films, Damien will struggle with his horrific past while wrangling with the expectations his birth-right dictates.
This won’t be the first time that studio executives have gotten the defibrillators out for Richard Donnner’s terror classic, which featured Gregory Peck and Lee Remick as the unwitting adopted parents of the spawn of the devil. The film was a hit when it was released back in 1978, earning over $60 million in the U.S. alone. From there we got two sequels, the second of which starred Jurassic Park’s Sam Neill as the Antichrist. Two TV movies followed as well, including The Omen (1995), which was supposed to spark a television series.
More recently, we’ve seen Bill Pullman tackle the Devil’s favourite son in the NBC miniseries, Revelations, and Liev Schrieber fill Gregory Peck’s sizeable shoes in a successful 2006 remake of the original movie. The $120 million box office take for the picture should be indicator enough of the franchise’s pull with viewers worldwide.
Mazzara previously helmed a season and a half of The Walking Dead, from 2011 to 2013, and it was under his supervision the series reached its (at the time) highest ratings. It remains to be seen whether he can attribute similar success on his return to television, but his latest project should come with plenty of optimism.
First of all, this won’t be his first move-to-TV adaptation. In 2008 he was the showrunner on the follow-up to the Oscar-winning Crash, which saw him team with legendary actor Dennis Hopper. Add to this Mazzara’s substantial body-of-work that also includes credits on police drama The Shield and you have an entertainment personality that really knows his way around a television set. In addition, Mazzara is also writing the script for The Shining spin-off, Overlook Hotel, further strengthening his venture into the horror genre.
While Crash received mixed reviews at best, The Shield was a hit with critics and audiences alike, so it still seems difficult to project Damien’s chances until it actually hits our screens. That being said, Mazzara’s run on The Walking Dead may suggest he is hitting a purple-patch in his career and he is at home with all things doom and gloom.
What do you think of Mazzara taking on the Antichrist? Let us know in the comments below.
