Exclusive: Nell Tiger Free and director Arkasha Stevenson talk The First Omen
Hitting theaters on April 5 from 20th Century Studios is the psychological thriller The First Omen, directed by Arkasha Stevenson and starring Nell Tiger Free, Tawfeek Barhom, Sonia Braga, Nicole Sorace, and Bill Nighy, with Ralph Ineson.
The film is the prequel to the classic 1976 horror film, The Omen which starred Gregory Peck, Lee Remick and Harvey Stephens and centered on an American ambassador who believes his 5-year-old son is the Antichrist. The pic spawned two sequels — 1978’s Damien: Omen II and 1981’s The Final Conflict as well as the 2006 reboot
"Create something to fear." When a young American woman (Nell Tiger Free) is sent to Rome to begin a life of service to the church, she encounters a darkness that soon causes her to question her own faith and uncovers a terrifying conspiracy that hopes to bring about the birth of evil incarnate.
The screenplay is written by Tim Smith, Arkasha Stevenson, and Keith Thomas; from a story by Ben Jacoby. Based on the characters originally created by David Seltzer for The Omen (2006). Produced by David S. Goyer and Keith Levine.
Free made her acting debut on Game of Thrones, and then starred as the nanny with a secret on the hit Apple series Servant. She also appeared opposite Miles Teller in the Amazon series Too Old to Die Young.
Stevenson started out as a photojournalist for the Los Angeles Times before she directed her short film Pineapple, which debuted at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. She also co-executive produced Channel Zero: Butcher’s Block for Syfy, on which Stevenson directed every episode. She also directed Brand New Cherry Flavor at Netflix and episodes of FX’s Legion and USA’s Briarpatch.
