‘Damien’ a Show Based on ‘The Omen’ to Premiere on A&E

A TV show based on The Omen, a classic horror film from 1976, is set to premiere on A&E, called Damien. The network made the announcement regarding the show on April 29, as part of an expansion of the number of episodes that were originally requested for the series.

An initial six episodes of one hour each were originally order of Damien by the network. In their latest announcement, the Executive Vice President & General Manager of Lifetime and A&E, Rob Sharenow, said they would be adding an additional four episodes to the series. In the statement, Sharenow said that A&E is committed to providing original scripted dramas that are high quality. This combined with their impressive fan base for their current series, Bates Motel, aligns with the concept of Damien. He believes this makes the network a perfect home for the new series, and the story that the team is trying to tell has thrilled the network in such a way as to deserve the additional episodes ordered.

The new series stars Bradley James as the title role of Damien Thorn. James is known for his roles in Merlin as Arthur, in Homeland as JG Edgars and in iZombie as Lowell Casey.

The new scripted show, Damien, which is set to premiere on A&E is based on characters from The Omen. The focus of the series is Damien Thorn, the child from the original movie, who has grown up without really knowing about the apparently satanic forces that are all around him. Thorn is haunted by his past, and as he learns about his real destiny as the antichrist, he must come to terms with the new direction his life is taking.

Ann Rutledge, portrayed by Barbara Hershey, is the most powerful woman in the world and she is tasked with making sure that Thorn is able to fulfill his destiny. Thorn’s colleague, Amani Golkar played by Omid Abtahi, is fiercely loyal, and when he realizes who Thorn really is, his loyalty will be tested. Finally there is Simone Baptiste, played by Meganlyn Echikunwoke, a woman who finds her life all in turmoil after a tragedy strikes unexpectedly.

Damien is currently in production in Toronto. The new drama series is being produced by Fox 21 Television Studios. The executive producer and writer for the series is Glen Mazzara, who has also worked on The Walking Dead. Mazzara produces through his company 44 Strong Productions. He works with Ross Fineman, who also helped to develop the project. Fineman is also an executive producer on the show via Fineman Entertainment. A third executive producer is listed as Pancho Mansfield. The first episode of Damien had Shekhar Kapur as both director and executive producer. Kapur is a BAFTA Award and Golden Globe nominated director.

Although Damien was originally ordered for the Lifetime network, the show which follows the adult life of the child from The Omen, is now set to premiere on A&E. When the original announcement for the program was made in August of 2014, it was set to premiere at some point during 2015, with the addition of new episodes and a network move, there has been no date set for the start of the series.

By Kimberley Spinney

Sources:

A&E Press Release

Lifetime Press Release

Photo by Sciosa – Wikimedia License