20th Century Studios has found its lead actress for their upcoming The Omen prequel film, The First Omen, in the form of Servant star Nell Tiger Free. The story of the original 1976 film, which was directed by Richard Donner (Superman, The Goonies) and starred legendary Hollywood actor Gregory Peck, revolves around an American ambassador who begins to suspect that his son is the prophesied Antichrist following a series of gruesome and mysterious deaths around him. The Omen spawned multiple sequels and a reboot, which came out in 2006. The film received critical acclaim at the time of its release and earned an Academy Award win for Best Original Score, cementing its status as an influential horror classic.
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Now, it's been announced (via Deadline) that Servant and Game of Thrones actress Nell Tiger Free will take on the lead role for The First Omen, which is currently in development at 20th Century Studios. The film's production has been gaining momentum in recent months following the acquisition of TV director Arkasha Stevenson, who will helm the project with Tim Smith joining her as co-writer. The First Omen will be produced by David S. Goyer (Batman Begins, Man of Steel) and Keith Levine (The Night House), while the plot details are yet to be revealed.
The First Omen marks Nell Tiger Free's first leading role in a feature film. The British actress has appeared in multiple television projects, including the recent Amazon Prime TV series Too Old To Die Young, where she starred alongside Top Gun: Maverick star Miles Teller, and Game of Thrones, where she played the role of Myrcella Baratheon. However, it's the M. Night Shyamalan-produced Apple TV+ series Servant where her performance as the mysterious nanny Leanne Grayson garnered attention. Tiger Free's casting in The First Omen could prove to be a stroke of genius from the studio giants and bodes well for fans of the iconic horror franchise.