Exclusive: Briarcliff Entertainment has acquired North American rights to Chris Jenkins’ animated family comedy 10 Lives, in partnership with Gfm Animation. World premiering at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, the film featuring the voices of singer-songwriter Zayn Malik, Bill Nighy (Living) and more will be released wide in theaters on October 11.
The film introduces audiences to Beckett, a pampered and selfish cat who takes his life for granted until he loses his ninth life. But fate has a wild ride in store, thrusting him into a hilarious and eye-opening journey of self-realization.
Also starring Mo Gilligan (The Lateish Show), Simone Ashley (Bridgerton), Sophie Okonedo (Slow Horses), Jeremy Swift (Ted Lasso) and Dylan Lewellyn (Derry Girls), the film is produced by Guy Collins and Sean Feeney. Briarcliff CEO Tom Ortenberg will join the executive producers.
In addition to starring, Malik acted as executive music producer on the film, writing and...
The film introduces audiences to Beckett, a pampered and selfish cat who takes his life for granted until he loses his ninth life. But fate has a wild ride in store, thrusting him into a hilarious and eye-opening journey of self-realization.
Also starring Mo Gilligan (The Lateish Show), Simone Ashley (Bridgerton), Sophie Okonedo (Slow Horses), Jeremy Swift (Ted Lasso) and Dylan Lewellyn (Derry Girls), the film is produced by Guy Collins and Sean Feeney. Briarcliff CEO Tom Ortenberg will join the executive producers.
In addition to starring, Malik acted as executive music producer on the film, writing and...
- 5/16/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
A good "Omen" prequel? Alright, which one of you jokers made a deal with the devil? Director Richard Donner's original 1976 horror classic has spawned no shortage of film sequels, plus a failed TV pilot, a sequel TV series, and a 2006 remake featuring an utterly bizarre screenwriting credit. However, director and co-writer Arkasha Stevenson's "The First Omen" is the first entry to be widely heralded as a worthy continuation. In his review for /Film, Witney Seibold described the picture as "thoughtfully menacing, uniquely stylish, deathfully intense, and utterly terrifying" before crowning it "the best horror movie of the year so far."
Sadly, early 2024 hasn't been kind to horror at the box office, and Stevenson's film was no exception. On the other hand, Disney had initially planned on punting the movie straight to Hulu before sending it to theaters, so "The First Omen" was never under pressure to become a huge hit.
Sadly, early 2024 hasn't been kind to horror at the box office, and Stevenson's film was no exception. On the other hand, Disney had initially planned on punting the movie straight to Hulu before sending it to theaters, so "The First Omen" was never under pressure to become a huge hit.
- 5/13/2024
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
Sam Claflin and Rupert Friend will star in the World War II action thriller “Perdition” from writer-director Henry Dunham (“The Standoff at Sparrow Creek”).
Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee will produce for Thunder Road Pictures, whose credits include the John Wick franchise, with Claflin executive producing.
Mister Smith Entertainment is launching international sales on the film at the Cannes Film Market with CAA Media Finance and UTA Independent Film Group co-representing North American rights.
The film, currently in pre-production, is scheduled to start principal photography this fall.
Set in December 1944 against the war-torn Belgian landscape as World War II pushes toward a brutal climax, “Perdition” follows the journey of a lone American soldier (Claflin), who miraculously survives a Pow camp execution. As he ventures into the bone-chilling landscape to save himself and a precious cargo salvaged from the camp, a ruthless Nazi SS officer on horseback (Friend) discovers his tracks...
Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee will produce for Thunder Road Pictures, whose credits include the John Wick franchise, with Claflin executive producing.
Mister Smith Entertainment is launching international sales on the film at the Cannes Film Market with CAA Media Finance and UTA Independent Film Group co-representing North American rights.
The film, currently in pre-production, is scheduled to start principal photography this fall.
Set in December 1944 against the war-torn Belgian landscape as World War II pushes toward a brutal climax, “Perdition” follows the journey of a lone American soldier (Claflin), who miraculously survives a Pow camp execution. As he ventures into the bone-chilling landscape to save himself and a precious cargo salvaged from the camp, a ruthless Nazi SS officer on horseback (Friend) discovers his tracks...
- 5/10/2024
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Excelsior! Kartoon Studios and the UK’s Gfm Animation have teamed to develop and produce animated features based on the Stan Lee Universe.
Characters and stories from the Kartoon-controlled Stan Lee Universe will feature in the five pics, which Kartoon and Gfm will develop, finance and produce together.
A team of LA-based writers with previous experience working across Marvel projects has been assembled to develop the first scripts, working alongside Gfm in London and Kartoon in L.A. The first three treatments will be presented to distributors at the Cannes Film Festival.
Lee, who passed away in 2018, is one of the most prolific character creators of all-time. During the time he was Marvel’s Editor-in-Chief, he built the superhero universe known today and made household names of the likes of Spider-Man, Thor, Hulk and the X-Men. He eventually rose to Editorial Director and Publisher and was later named Marvel’s Chairman Emeritus,...
Characters and stories from the Kartoon-controlled Stan Lee Universe will feature in the five pics, which Kartoon and Gfm will develop, finance and produce together.
A team of LA-based writers with previous experience working across Marvel projects has been assembled to develop the first scripts, working alongside Gfm in London and Kartoon in L.A. The first three treatments will be presented to distributors at the Cannes Film Festival.
Lee, who passed away in 2018, is one of the most prolific character creators of all-time. During the time he was Marvel’s Editor-in-Chief, he built the superhero universe known today and made household names of the likes of Spider-Man, Thor, Hulk and the X-Men. He eventually rose to Editorial Director and Publisher and was later named Marvel’s Chairman Emeritus,...
- 5/9/2024
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Vampires and werewolves are big business in mainstream media, with a veritable feast of TV shows and movies being dedicated to the mythical creatures across the decades. So when something comes along that slots straight into the mainstream zeitgeist with its gothic visuals and sexy vampires fighting pesky swearwolves, you know what’s coming next. Yup, sequels and prequels! As mentioned in our previous episode that sunk its teeth into the fun but flawed Underworld from 2003, director Len Wiseman found love with his leading lady, Kate Beckinsale. And, if you’re being massively cynical, you could perhaps suggest that their star-struck Hollywood romance is one of the main reasons a follow-up to the first movie was green-lit. Or maybe it was the decent box-office, cool world-building or maybe even the lashings of S&m clad characters? The first movie, as we discussed previously, is flawed and far from perfect but you know what,...
- 5/6/2024
- by Adam Walton
- JoBlo.com
[Editor’s note: this list was originally published in January 2024. It has since been updated with new entries.]
Emily Blunt’s first Oscar nomination was for the type of role the actress doesn’t normally play. Over the course of her career, the London-born actress has played badass action heroes, musical heroines, even delightfully bitchy supporting comic parts. But in Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” Blunt goes into a totally different mode to play a embittered and humorless long-suffering wife type. It’s a jarring transformation; but, given her versatility, a predictably excellent one.
Born to a former actress and barrister in London, Blunt studied acting in boarding school and began her professional career at 18, when she debuted on a West End production of the play “The Royal Family.” In 2003 she transitioned to screen acting with the British miniseries “Boudica” and “Henry VIII,” before making her theatrical film debut as a haughty, arrogant rich girl in independent drama “My Summer of Love” in 2004.
2006 was her breakout year; she won...
Emily Blunt’s first Oscar nomination was for the type of role the actress doesn’t normally play. Over the course of her career, the London-born actress has played badass action heroes, musical heroines, even delightfully bitchy supporting comic parts. But in Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” Blunt goes into a totally different mode to play a embittered and humorless long-suffering wife type. It’s a jarring transformation; but, given her versatility, a predictably excellent one.
Born to a former actress and barrister in London, Blunt studied acting in boarding school and began her professional career at 18, when she debuted on a West End production of the play “The Royal Family.” In 2003 she transitioned to screen acting with the British miniseries “Boudica” and “Henry VIII,” before making her theatrical film debut as a haughty, arrogant rich girl in independent drama “My Summer of Love” in 2004.
2006 was her breakout year; she won...
- 5/3/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
Margot Robbie and Rosamund Pike are among the nominees for the National Film Awards.The stars of 'Barbie' and 'Saltburn' respectively will compete against talent including Patricia Hodge ('Arthur's Whiskey'), Jo Hartley ('Swede Caroline'), Eiza Gonzalez ('The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare') and Emma Stone ('Poor Things)' in a star-studded Best Actress category.This year's ceremony is set to take place on July 3 at the Porchester Hall in London and marks the 10th anniversary of the prestigious awards. It will feature a lineup of nominees from around the globe consisting of seasoned acting veterans and emerging young talents.The Best Actor category is equally competitive with stars including Barry Keoghan ('Saltburn), Kevin Hart ('Lift') and Ewan McGregor ('Bleeding Love') competing for the prize with Kane Robinson ('The Kitchen') and Lakeith Stanfield ('Book of Clarence').Meanwhile,...
- 4/30/2024
- by Joe Graber
- Bang Showbiz
Annecy International Animation Film Festival has unveiled the programme for its 2024 edition, including the Competition line-up and a programme of previews from the major studios.
The 12-strong Official Competition includes Adam Elliot’s Australian feature Memoir Of A Snail, in which Succession star Sarah Snook voices a lonely hoarder of ornamental snails; and stop-motion Savages!, director Claude Barras’ first feature since his Bafta- and Oscar-nominated My Life As A Courgette.
Scroll down for the full Competition line-up
The festival will open with Michel Hazanavicius’ Competition title The Most Precious Of Cargoes, heading to Annecy from its debut in Cannes Competition.
The 12-strong Official Competition includes Adam Elliot’s Australian feature Memoir Of A Snail, in which Succession star Sarah Snook voices a lonely hoarder of ornamental snails; and stop-motion Savages!, director Claude Barras’ first feature since his Bafta- and Oscar-nominated My Life As A Courgette.
Scroll down for the full Competition line-up
The festival will open with Michel Hazanavicius’ Competition title The Most Precious Of Cargoes, heading to Annecy from its debut in Cannes Competition.
- 4/26/2024
- ScreenDaily
Kenneth Branagh has spent much of his career bringing to life the works of British writers William Shakespeare and Agatha Christie. Now he will not get a chance to play a different famed scribe. Branagh will voice star as Charles Dickens in The King of Kings, a faith-based feature inspired by the lives of both Dickens and Jesus Christ.
Uma Thurman will voice star as Catherine Dickens, the wife of the author, while Jojo Rabbit‘s Roman Griffin Davis will voice the couple’s youngest son, Walter.
The King of Kings is inspired by “The Life of Our Lord,” a Dickens short story published in 1934, decades after his death. It follows Dickens and Walter as they — and their cat Willa — become immersed in the story of Jesus.
“It is through the Dickens family that our audience experiences the life of Jesus Christ, and Kenneth Branagh, Uma Thurman and Roman Griffin Davis bring all the emotion,...
Uma Thurman will voice star as Catherine Dickens, the wife of the author, while Jojo Rabbit‘s Roman Griffin Davis will voice the couple’s youngest son, Walter.
The King of Kings is inspired by “The Life of Our Lord,” a Dickens short story published in 1934, decades after his death. It follows Dickens and Walter as they — and their cat Willa — become immersed in the story of Jesus.
“It is through the Dickens family that our audience experiences the life of Jesus Christ, and Kenneth Branagh, Uma Thurman and Roman Griffin Davis bring all the emotion,...
- 4/25/2024
- by Aaron Couch
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
What more could the heart want than a sweeping romantic drama dealing with grief, loss, love, and music? The Greatest Hits is a fantasy romantic drama film written and directed by Ned Benson, the Hulu film follows the story of a young woman Lucy who had a picture-perfect romance but an accident took him away from her. But she gets a second chance when she discovers that she can travel back in time through the music they love, but her excursions in her past are interfering with a new love interest. The Greatest Hits stars Lucy Boynton, David Corenswet, and Justin H. Min in the lead roles with Nelly Furtado, Andie Ju, Austin Crute, Tom Yi, Bryan Ferry, and Retta starring in supporting roles. So, if you loved the sweeping love story and the time-traveling drama in The Greatest Hits, here are some similar films you could check out next.
- 4/25/2024
- by Kulwant Singh
- Cinema Blind
DreamWorks Animation will showcase a sneak peek of “The Wild Robot” at the Annecy Animation Festival (June 9-15). The preview footage will take place June 11, hosted by writer/director Chris Sanders (co-director of “How to Train Your Dragon” and “Lilo & Stitch”).
“The Wild Robot”, adapted from Peter Brown’s illustrated book and produced by Jeff Hermann, explores the bridge between technology and nature. It’s about a robot called Roz (Lupita Nyong’o) washed ashore on an uninhabited island, who must embark on a journey of survival and discovery when she inadvertently becomes the protector of an orphaned gosling bird.
The all-star voice cast also includes Pedro Pascal as fox Fink, Catherine O’Hara as opossum Pinktail, Bill Nighy as goose Longneck, Kit Connor as gosling Brightbill, and Stephanie Hsu as robot Vontra; plus Matt Berry, Ving Rhames, and Mark Hamill.
The preview will be followed later that evening by a...
“The Wild Robot”, adapted from Peter Brown’s illustrated book and produced by Jeff Hermann, explores the bridge between technology and nature. It’s about a robot called Roz (Lupita Nyong’o) washed ashore on an uninhabited island, who must embark on a journey of survival and discovery when she inadvertently becomes the protector of an orphaned gosling bird.
The all-star voice cast also includes Pedro Pascal as fox Fink, Catherine O’Hara as opossum Pinktail, Bill Nighy as goose Longneck, Kit Connor as gosling Brightbill, and Stephanie Hsu as robot Vontra; plus Matt Berry, Ving Rhames, and Mark Hamill.
The preview will be followed later that evening by a...
- 4/24/2024
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Audiences will get the opportunity to preview footage from DreamWorks Animation’s upcoming animated feature “The Wild Robot” at the Annecy International Film Festival.
The studio, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary, will showcase “The Wild Robot” footage on June 11 with a filmmaker presentation from writer and director Chris Sanders (“The Croods”). An Artists’ Panel discussion with the film’s creative leadership team will also take place later that day.
On June 12, the filmmakers will be doing a special book signing at the Bonlieu library.
Based on Peter Brown’s book, “The Wild Robot” follows the journey of Roz, a robot who finds themselves shipwrecked on an uninhabited island. Roz soon learns to adjust to their new surroundings and finds friendship through the animals on the island. The film’s voice cast includes Lupita Nyong’o as Roz, Pedro Pascal as the fox Fink, Catherine O’Hara as the opossum Pinktail, Bill Nighy...
The studio, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary, will showcase “The Wild Robot” footage on June 11 with a filmmaker presentation from writer and director Chris Sanders (“The Croods”). An Artists’ Panel discussion with the film’s creative leadership team will also take place later that day.
On June 12, the filmmakers will be doing a special book signing at the Bonlieu library.
Based on Peter Brown’s book, “The Wild Robot” follows the journey of Roz, a robot who finds themselves shipwrecked on an uninhabited island. Roz soon learns to adjust to their new surroundings and finds friendship through the animals on the island. The film’s voice cast includes Lupita Nyong’o as Roz, Pedro Pascal as the fox Fink, Catherine O’Hara as the opossum Pinktail, Bill Nighy...
- 4/24/2024
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
2014’s Pride, from director Matthew Warchus, is heading back into cinemas in the UK this June: more details here.
Comfortably one of the best British films of the 2010s is the wonderful Pride, an uproariously funny and really moving ensemble film set in the 1980s. Led by George MacKay, Andrew Scott, Ben Schnetzer, Faye Marsay, Dominic West, Imelda Staunton, a sex toy, Paddy Considine, Bill Nighy and Freddie Fox, it felt like a movie out of nowhere when it first arrived.
Telling the story of the miner’s strike in the UK in the 1980s, and the efforts of a bunch of lesbian and gay activists to support them, it still remains something of a one-off. Penned by Stephen Beresford and directed by Matthew Warchus, the modestly-budgeted film hardly set the box office alight on its initial release, but it’s earned a rich and deserved reputation since for a film that’s well,...
Comfortably one of the best British films of the 2010s is the wonderful Pride, an uproariously funny and really moving ensemble film set in the 1980s. Led by George MacKay, Andrew Scott, Ben Schnetzer, Faye Marsay, Dominic West, Imelda Staunton, a sex toy, Paddy Considine, Bill Nighy and Freddie Fox, it felt like a movie out of nowhere when it first arrived.
Telling the story of the miner’s strike in the UK in the 1980s, and the efforts of a bunch of lesbian and gay activists to support them, it still remains something of a one-off. Penned by Stephen Beresford and directed by Matthew Warchus, the modestly-budgeted film hardly set the box office alight on its initial release, but it’s earned a rich and deserved reputation since for a film that’s well,...
- 4/24/2024
- by Simon Brew
- Film Stories
DreamWorks Animation’s September event movie The Wild Robot is tweaking its release plans. The family film will now open in theaters on Sept. 27, 2024, instead of a week earlier on Sept. 20.
The move gives Wild Robot some distance from Paramount’s animated Transformers One, which moved to the Sept. 20 date earlier this week.
The DreamWorks Animation film, from director Chris Sanders and starring the voice of Lupita Nyong’o, follows the journey of a robot named Rozzum unit 7134 — “Roz” for short — that is shipwrecked on an uninhabited island and must learn to adapt to the harsh surroundings. She gradually, however, forms friendships with the animals on the island and cares for an orphaned baby goose.
The Wild Robot is based on Peter Brown’s book of the same name, an illustrated middle-grade novel first published in 2016 that became a literary phenomenon and rocketed to No. 1 on The New York Times bestseller list.
The move gives Wild Robot some distance from Paramount’s animated Transformers One, which moved to the Sept. 20 date earlier this week.
The DreamWorks Animation film, from director Chris Sanders and starring the voice of Lupita Nyong’o, follows the journey of a robot named Rozzum unit 7134 — “Roz” for short — that is shipwrecked on an uninhabited island and must learn to adapt to the harsh surroundings. She gradually, however, forms friendships with the animals on the island and cares for an orphaned baby goose.
The Wild Robot is based on Peter Brown’s book of the same name, an illustrated middle-grade novel first published in 2016 that became a literary phenomenon and rocketed to No. 1 on The New York Times bestseller list.
- 4/23/2024
- by Pamela McClintock
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
DreamWorks Animation’s The Wild Robot will now go on Sept. 27 instead of Sept. 20.
The move comes in the wake of Paramount’s animated Transformers One parking on Sept. 20 (instead of Sept. 13) as the studio needed to get a foothold on Imax auditoriums.
We heard that Transformers One was moved to get further away from Beetlejuice Beetlejuice as that Warner Bros Tim Burton directed, Michael Keaton starring sequel is expected to scare up a ton of September cash; that movie opening on Sept. 6.
The Wild Robot will now square off against Lionsgate’s Alexandre Aja directed horror Halle Berry thriller, Never Let Go as well as the tenth anniversary Imax re-release of Paramount/Warner Bros’ Christopher Nolan sci-fi movie, Interstellar.
The Wild Robot is based on Peter Brown’s New York Times No. 1 bestseller. The movie follows robot—Rozzum unit 7134 aka “Roz”. Roz is shipwrecked on an uninhabited island and...
The move comes in the wake of Paramount’s animated Transformers One parking on Sept. 20 (instead of Sept. 13) as the studio needed to get a foothold on Imax auditoriums.
We heard that Transformers One was moved to get further away from Beetlejuice Beetlejuice as that Warner Bros Tim Burton directed, Michael Keaton starring sequel is expected to scare up a ton of September cash; that movie opening on Sept. 6.
The Wild Robot will now square off against Lionsgate’s Alexandre Aja directed horror Halle Berry thriller, Never Let Go as well as the tenth anniversary Imax re-release of Paramount/Warner Bros’ Christopher Nolan sci-fi movie, Interstellar.
The Wild Robot is based on Peter Brown’s New York Times No. 1 bestseller. The movie follows robot—Rozzum unit 7134 aka “Roz”. Roz is shipwrecked on an uninhabited island and...
- 4/23/2024
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Netflix and the Annecy Film Festival have fostered an incredible relationship over the last several years. No other major studio or distributor has been as omnipresent at the French film festival, and this year should be no different.
Netflix is planning several major sneak peeks of upcoming titles, a work-in-progress session, the world premiere of “Ultraman: Rising,” an exhibition of stop-motion figures from the upcoming Wallace & Gromit film, and two of its titles – “Blue Eye Samurai” and “Pokémon Concierge” – are screening in competition.
On Wednesday, June 12, the streamer will host Next on Netflix Animation: From Twilight of the Gods to Wallace & Gromit, a sneak peek at some of its most high-profile upcoming film and series titles.
“Wallace & Gromit” directors Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham and several of the film’s puppets will be in Annecy to tease their upcoming film. “Twilight of the Gods” will be presented by director Zack Snyder,...
Netflix is planning several major sneak peeks of upcoming titles, a work-in-progress session, the world premiere of “Ultraman: Rising,” an exhibition of stop-motion figures from the upcoming Wallace & Gromit film, and two of its titles – “Blue Eye Samurai” and “Pokémon Concierge” – are screening in competition.
On Wednesday, June 12, the streamer will host Next on Netflix Animation: From Twilight of the Gods to Wallace & Gromit, a sneak peek at some of its most high-profile upcoming film and series titles.
“Wallace & Gromit” directors Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham and several of the film’s puppets will be in Annecy to tease their upcoming film. “Twilight of the Gods” will be presented by director Zack Snyder,...
- 4/22/2024
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Claymation legends Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham will offer stop-motion fans a sneak peek at their upcoming Wallace & Gromit film at this year’s Annecy animation festival.
The still-untitled feature will see inveterate, cheese-loving inventor Wallace designing a “smart gnome” for the family garden who begins to develop a mind of its own. As events spiral out of control, it is up to faithful dog Gromit to put things right. Park and Crossingham co-directed the film, based on a story by Park and a screenplay from Shaun the Sheep and Gnomeo & Juliet writer Mark Burton.
The film, which will premiere on Netflix worldwide outside the U.K., where it will have a first-release window on the BBC, is the second feature from Aardman Animations based on the beloved characters, following the Oscar-winning Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) and the series of award-winning shorts, including Oscar-winners The Wrong...
The still-untitled feature will see inveterate, cheese-loving inventor Wallace designing a “smart gnome” for the family garden who begins to develop a mind of its own. As events spiral out of control, it is up to faithful dog Gromit to put things right. Park and Crossingham co-directed the film, based on a story by Park and a screenplay from Shaun the Sheep and Gnomeo & Juliet writer Mark Burton.
The film, which will premiere on Netflix worldwide outside the U.K., where it will have a first-release window on the BBC, is the second feature from Aardman Animations based on the beloved characters, following the Oscar-winning Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) and the series of award-winning shorts, including Oscar-winners The Wrong...
- 4/22/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
On April 5th, 20th Century Studios gave a theatrical release to The First Omen, which serves as a prequel to the 1976 horror classic The Omen (watch it Here) – and the movie was surprisingly well-received, with JoBlo’s own Chris Bumbray giving it an 8/10 review and Tyler Nichols writing an article about why it works so well. The movie hasn’t been burning up the box office charts; made on a budget of $30 million, it has only pulled in $36 million so far. But if a sequel were to get the greenlight, director Arkasha Stevenson knows one subject she would want to cover in the follow-up: the mystery of the jackal.
In the original The Omen, we were told that the Antichrist was born of a jackal. The First Omen digs deeper into his parentage, letting us know that it wasn’t quite as simple (although very strange) as it appeared to be in the original movie,...
In the original The Omen, we were told that the Antichrist was born of a jackal. The First Omen digs deeper into his parentage, letting us know that it wasn’t quite as simple (although very strange) as it appeared to be in the original movie,...
- 4/18/2024
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
If there was one thing that was going to tempt movie-goers into cinemas for some mid-budget vampire action in 2003, it was probably Bill Nighy as a vampire overlord. Or, was it the marketing campaign featuring a leather clad Kate Beckinsale? I’ll let you decide… The early noughties had already brought some decent vampire action, before we were subjected to the shimmering embarrassment to the genre that was the Twilight saga. We were also just a few short years away from seeing some proper kick-ass, sexy vampire action on the small screen with Hbc’s excellent True Blood series. The vampire genre was starting to show some signs of a re-awakening, and films such as the fun but flawed Queen of the Damned from 2002 and, of course, the awesome Blade series, were leading the bloodsucking way.
Vampires have always been a popular form of escapism for audiences and they’re still massively popular now.
Vampires have always been a popular form of escapism for audiences and they’re still massively popular now.
- 4/17/2024
- by Adam Walton
- JoBlo.com
Yesterday, all their troubles seemed so far away.
In 2022, Peter Rosza and Conor Woulfe sued Universal Pictures after they rented the 2019 movie “Yesterday” on Amazon Prime Video and subsequently felt they had been bamboozled by the trailer. The film, directed by Danny Boyle and written by Richard Curtis, is a zany musical fantasy in which Himesh Patel, a struggling musician, is bonked on the head and wakes up in a world in which The Beatles Never Happened. As such, he starts playing their songs as if they are his own and the movie follows the expected Preston Sturges-like tropes you might expect.
The trailer for the movie featured quite a few glimpses of the alluring Cuban-born actress Ana de Armas, later Oscar-nominated for her leading turn in “Blonde,” who ended up not being in the movie at all. An early cut included her character, but that storyline was shaved down after the movie tested poorly.
In 2022, Peter Rosza and Conor Woulfe sued Universal Pictures after they rented the 2019 movie “Yesterday” on Amazon Prime Video and subsequently felt they had been bamboozled by the trailer. The film, directed by Danny Boyle and written by Richard Curtis, is a zany musical fantasy in which Himesh Patel, a struggling musician, is bonked on the head and wakes up in a world in which The Beatles Never Happened. As such, he starts playing their songs as if they are his own and the movie follows the expected Preston Sturges-like tropes you might expect.
The trailer for the movie featured quite a few glimpses of the alluring Cuban-born actress Ana de Armas, later Oscar-nominated for her leading turn in “Blonde,” who ended up not being in the movie at all. An early cut included her character, but that storyline was shaved down after the movie tested poorly.
- 4/17/2024
- by Jordan Hoffman
- Gold Derby
The Phantom of the Opera is sometimes considered one of the Universal Monsters. I get it. From the 1925 version that gave us one of the most infamous unmasking sequences ever courtesy of the great Lon Chaney Sr., through the Hammer iteration with Herbert Lom, all the way up to the 2004 film that gave a lot of us our intro to Gerard Butler. Speaking of that movie, its inspiration and reason for its existence was the Andrew Lloyd Weber musical that premiered in October of 1986 and has had runs all the way through as recently as 2021. 1989 was the beginning of its U.S. tour and we got not one but Two Phantom movies that year. Phantom of the Mall: Eric’s Revenge is cheesy and may just be more well known due to our friend Joe Bob featuring it on the Last Drive In recently. Here in the JoBlo Horror kitchen today...
- 4/16/2024
- by Andrew Hatfield
- JoBlo.com
As the calendar flips to the end of March, a fresh batch of movies and TV shows make their way onto various streaming platforms. While this week’s lineup may not feature blockbuster hits, it certainly offers a diverse selection that could capture your interest. Here’s a curated list of seven new streaming highlights to check out before diving into the new month. The Beautiful Game Netflix The Beautiful Game, landing on Netflix, is a poignant drama that intertwines the passion for soccer with the pressing issue of homelessness. Bill Nighy stars as a widower who finds solace in coaching England’s
The post Stream 7 New Titles on Netflix, Disney Plus, Prime Video, and More This Week first appeared on TVovermind.
The post Stream 7 New Titles on Netflix, Disney Plus, Prime Video, and More This Week first appeared on TVovermind.
- 4/13/2024
- by Steve Delikson
- TVovermind.com
If you thought babysitting was tough, try stopping the birth of the Antichrist. The First Omen sweeps you into a visually lush 1970s Rome, serving up a sumptuous feast for the eyes that’s as stylish as it is shadowy. Although you might find yourself guessing the twists before they unfurl, the film keeps its grip with a dark, rich portrayal of evil’s origins. It’s all for you, Damien.
“[The First Omen serves] up a sumptuous feast for the eyes that’s as stylish as it is shadowy.”
From the opening scenes, the film devilishly dazzles with a rich color palette that superbly captures the eerie 1970s Rome, replete with political unrest, religious skepticism and foreboding religious iconography. The grandeur of the Eternal City is captured in sweeping vistas, which, combined with a robust orchestral score, elevates the production value to a level that’s a rarity in modern horror flicks. There...
“[The First Omen serves] up a sumptuous feast for the eyes that’s as stylish as it is shadowy.”
From the opening scenes, the film devilishly dazzles with a rich color palette that superbly captures the eerie 1970s Rome, replete with political unrest, religious skepticism and foreboding religious iconography. The grandeur of the Eternal City is captured in sweeping vistas, which, combined with a robust orchestral score, elevates the production value to a level that’s a rarity in modern horror flicks. There...
- 4/12/2024
- by Kimberley Elizabeth
Universal brought its CinemaCon presentation to a heartfelt finale in Las Vegas on Wednesday with a 30-minute segment dedicated to the glittering jewel of its 2024 release slate, Wicked.
Leads Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, who play the witches Elphaba and Glinda from the magical Land of Oz, introduced footage to the first part of Jon Chu’s Broadway adaptation, which recently wrapped production in London and is scheduled to open on November 27. The second instalment comes out on November 26, 2025.
Chu fought back tears as he joined the film’s producer Marc Platt, who won a Tony for the Broadway show,...
Leads Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, who play the witches Elphaba and Glinda from the magical Land of Oz, introduced footage to the first part of Jon Chu’s Broadway adaptation, which recently wrapped production in London and is scheduled to open on November 27. The second instalment comes out on November 26, 2025.
Chu fought back tears as he joined the film’s producer Marc Platt, who won a Tony for the Broadway show,...
- 4/11/2024
- ScreenDaily
Universal brought its CinemaCon presentation to a heartfelt finale in Las Vegas on Wednesday with a 30-minute segment dedicated to the glittering jewel of its 2024 release slate, Wicked.
Leads Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, who play the witches Elphaba and Glinda from the magical Land of Oz, introduced footage to the first part of Jon Chu’s Broadway adaptation, which recently wrapped production in London and is scheduled to open on November 27. The second instalment comes out on November 26, 2025.
Chu fought back tears as he joined the film’s producer Marc Platt, who won a Tony for the Broadway show,...
Leads Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, who play the witches Elphaba and Glinda from the magical Land of Oz, introduced footage to the first part of Jon Chu’s Broadway adaptation, which recently wrapped production in London and is scheduled to open on November 27. The second instalment comes out on November 26, 2025.
Chu fought back tears as he joined the film’s producer Marc Platt, who won a Tony for the Broadway show,...
- 4/11/2024
- ScreenDaily
Three-time Oscar-nominated director Chris Sandlers and Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o previewed unfinished footage of DreamWorks Animation’s “The Wild Robot” at CinemaCon — what Sandlers says took inspiration from Disney classics and Hayao Miyazaki’s work, resulting in an original visual style that he described as “a Monet painting in a Miyazaki forest.”
Based on Peter Brown’s book, the story follows Roz, a robot voiced by Nyong’o, who is accidentally marooned on an uninhabited island. There, the city robot meets and learns from the animals in her new environment.
In this rich world, a fox meets and advises Roz. “You need to learn how things work on this island, and kindness is not a survival skill,” the fox says.
Soon Roz watches a gosling hatch, who believes Roz is his mother. They form a bond as Roz tries to figure out how the baby can learn to swim and fly.
Based on Peter Brown’s book, the story follows Roz, a robot voiced by Nyong’o, who is accidentally marooned on an uninhabited island. There, the city robot meets and learns from the animals in her new environment.
In this rich world, a fox meets and advises Roz. “You need to learn how things work on this island, and kindness is not a survival skill,” the fox says.
Soon Roz watches a gosling hatch, who believes Roz is his mother. They form a bond as Roz tries to figure out how the baby can learn to swim and fly.
- 4/11/2024
- by Carolyn Giardina
- Variety Film + TV
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire were the monsters with the mostest at the box office this weekend, as Dev Patel‘s much buzzed-about feature directorial debut Monkey Man and supernatural franchise installment The First Omen both opened behind expectations.
Neither genre film ever had a chance of taking away the No. 1 spot from Warner Bros. and Legendary’s Godzilla x Kong, but had hoped for a bigger slice of the proverbial box office pie. Godzilla, from filmmaker Adam Wingard, is proving to be a significant victory for Josh Grode’s Legendary Pictures on the heels of Dune: Part Two, which is the top-grossing film of the year to date with $660.7 million in global ticket sales through Sunday. And Godzilla is also a big win for Warner Bros. and Legendary’s MonsterVerse series, at a time when many franchises are struggling to remain fresh.
Godzila x Kong topped the chart...
Neither genre film ever had a chance of taking away the No. 1 spot from Warner Bros. and Legendary’s Godzilla x Kong, but had hoped for a bigger slice of the proverbial box office pie. Godzilla, from filmmaker Adam Wingard, is proving to be a significant victory for Josh Grode’s Legendary Pictures on the heels of Dune: Part Two, which is the top-grossing film of the year to date with $660.7 million in global ticket sales through Sunday. And Godzilla is also a big win for Warner Bros. and Legendary’s MonsterVerse series, at a time when many franchises are struggling to remain fresh.
Godzila x Kong topped the chart...
- 4/7/2024
- by Pamela McClintock
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
It’s a primate face-off at the box office this weekend, plus some old-fashioned Antichrist horror on the side. Legendary Entertainment and Warner Bros.’ “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” looks to stick on top of domestic charts, holding off the opening weekend bows of Universal’s beat-em-up “Monkey Man” and 20th Century Studios’ horror revival “The First Omen.”
That kaiju victory lap probably has less to do with the staying power of “The New Empire” than the strength of its competition though. The blockbuster monster mash earned $8.5 million on Friday, down a steep 77% from its opening day a week ago. “The New Empire” could be eyeing a drop north of 60% across the three-day frame — not a superlatively large decline from a blockbuster’s opening weekend, but still a pretty sizable one. It puts in perspective the impressively slim 44% drop that fellow Legendary production “Dune: Part Two” faced in its sophomore outing.
That kaiju victory lap probably has less to do with the staying power of “The New Empire” than the strength of its competition though. The blockbuster monster mash earned $8.5 million on Friday, down a steep 77% from its opening day a week ago. “The New Empire” could be eyeing a drop north of 60% across the three-day frame — not a superlatively large decline from a blockbuster’s opening weekend, but still a pretty sizable one. It puts in perspective the impressively slim 44% drop that fellow Legendary production “Dune: Part Two” faced in its sophomore outing.
- 4/6/2024
- by J. Kim Murphy
- Variety Film + TV
Plot: A young novitiate in Rome (Nell Tiger Free) is warned by an ex-communicated priest (Ralph Ineson) that she’s at the center of a sinister conspiracy at her church dedicated to spawning the anti-Christ.
Review: I’ve always really enjoyed The Omen as a franchise. Even as a kid, I found something about the original trilogy centring around Damien Thorn especially gripping. However, I never had much use for the cheap TV movie sequel (Omen IV: The Awakening) or the scene-for-scene remake, which, despite a game cast, didn’t come close to recapturing the grisly spirit of Richard Donner’s original.
As such, I figured The First Omen would be just another would-be franchise starter, but I have to give 20th Century Studios and Disney credit – they made one hell of a cool horror flick (pun intended). In some ways, it’s a bit like Wonka (bear with...
Review: I’ve always really enjoyed The Omen as a franchise. Even as a kid, I found something about the original trilogy centring around Damien Thorn especially gripping. However, I never had much use for the cheap TV movie sequel (Omen IV: The Awakening) or the scene-for-scene remake, which, despite a game cast, didn’t come close to recapturing the grisly spirit of Richard Donner’s original.
As such, I figured The First Omen would be just another would-be franchise starter, but I have to give 20th Century Studios and Disney credit – they made one hell of a cool horror flick (pun intended). In some ways, it’s a bit like Wonka (bear with...
- 4/5/2024
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
This article contains major The First Omen spoilers.
It is said the Devil is in the details, and the details are quite devilish, indeed, in The First Omen. The surprisingly stylish and adroit chiller from first-time feature director Arkasha Stevenson takes the well-worn Hollywood formula of making a “story before the story” prequel, and actually conjures something drenched in atmosphere, originality, and modern urgency. Most of the time.
While the movie has a despairing timeliness in 2024 with its parable about a patriarchal system attempting to control and use women’s bodies to achieve their own power-hungry ends, The First Omen is still also a prequel to a film that was released almost 50 years ago. As such, it is forced to conclude where The Omen begins. And in the case of a franchise as steeped in opaque mysticism and religious dread as this, that kind of ending might baffle newcomers to the series.
It is said the Devil is in the details, and the details are quite devilish, indeed, in The First Omen. The surprisingly stylish and adroit chiller from first-time feature director Arkasha Stevenson takes the well-worn Hollywood formula of making a “story before the story” prequel, and actually conjures something drenched in atmosphere, originality, and modern urgency. Most of the time.
While the movie has a despairing timeliness in 2024 with its parable about a patriarchal system attempting to control and use women’s bodies to achieve their own power-hungry ends, The First Omen is still also a prequel to a film that was released almost 50 years ago. As such, it is forced to conclude where The Omen begins. And in the case of a franchise as steeped in opaque mysticism and religious dread as this, that kind of ending might baffle newcomers to the series.
- 4/5/2024
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
This week's Empire Podcast has more guests than the Overlook Hotel, all chatting to Chris Hewitt about their new movies. First, producer Jordan Peele tells Chris why he was so taken by Dev Patel's directorial debut, Monkey Man, that he came on board to help it get a theatrical release. Plus, they also talk why Peele is no longer acting. [15:40 - 30:56 approx] Then, Rufus Sewell — who plays Prince Andrew in Scoop, a film based on the infamous 2019 Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis — and director Philip Martin talk about the task of playing one of the most famous men on the planet. [44:28 - 59:38 approx] And finally, while The First Omen — the prequel to The Omen, which shall henceforth be known as The Second Omen — is a terrifying tour de force, Chris' interview with its stars, Nell Tiger Free and Bill Nighy, is anything but as they talk about being dressed by the Vatican, being hit by lightning,...
- 4/5/2024
- by Chris Hewitt
- Empire - Movies
Dev Patel’s extreme action film Monkey Man swings into the top spot during Thursday previews at the box office, exorcising Arkasha Stevenson’s The First Omen with $1.4M to the origin story’s $725K. Monkey Man’s preview screening started at 5 Pm at 2,750 theaters on Thursday, while The First Omen screened at 7 Pm.
Meanwhile, Adam Wingard’s Monsterverse rumble, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, punched its way past $100M on Thursday, with estimates calling for $32M during its second weekend in cinemas. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire continues to dominate IMAX screens, while Monkey Man and The First Omen play on Plf screens.
Here’s the official synopsis for Monkey Man courtesy of NBCUniversal:
“Monkey Man is an action thriller about one man’s quest for vengeance against the corrupt leaders who murdered his mother and continue to victimize the poor and powerless systemically.
Inspired by the legend of Hanuman,...
Meanwhile, Adam Wingard’s Monsterverse rumble, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, punched its way past $100M on Thursday, with estimates calling for $32M during its second weekend in cinemas. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire continues to dominate IMAX screens, while Monkey Man and The First Omen play on Plf screens.
Here’s the official synopsis for Monkey Man courtesy of NBCUniversal:
“Monkey Man is an action thriller about one man’s quest for vengeance against the corrupt leaders who murdered his mother and continue to victimize the poor and powerless systemically.
Inspired by the legend of Hanuman,...
- 4/5/2024
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
Stars: Nell Tiger Free, Ralph Ineson, Sônia Braga, Tawfeek Barhom, Maria Caballero, Charles Dance, Billy Nighy, Nicole Sorace | Written by Tim Smith, Arkasha Stevenson, Keith Thomas | Directed by Arkasha Stevenson
Typical. You wait years for a movie about a teenage American nun who becomes mysteriously pregnant when she travels to an Italian nunnery and then two come along at once. Consequently, The First Omen – a prequel to the 1976 horror classic – has had its thunder stolen somewhat by Michael Mohan’s excellent Sydney Sweeney-starring nunsploitation picture Immaculate (which is still in cinemas), but still delivers its fair share of tense atmospherics, jump scares and impressive body horror.
The film begins in 1971, with virginal young American novice Margaret (Nell Tiger Free) travelling to Rome, where she’s met by kindly Cardinal Lawrence (Bill Nighy), before beginning her apprenticeship at the Vizzardeli Orphanage, where she will eventually take her vows. Soon, Margaret’s...
Typical. You wait years for a movie about a teenage American nun who becomes mysteriously pregnant when she travels to an Italian nunnery and then two come along at once. Consequently, The First Omen – a prequel to the 1976 horror classic – has had its thunder stolen somewhat by Michael Mohan’s excellent Sydney Sweeney-starring nunsploitation picture Immaculate (which is still in cinemas), but still delivers its fair share of tense atmospherics, jump scares and impressive body horror.
The film begins in 1971, with virginal young American novice Margaret (Nell Tiger Free) travelling to Rome, where she’s met by kindly Cardinal Lawrence (Bill Nighy), before beginning her apprenticeship at the Vizzardeli Orphanage, where she will eventually take her vows. Soon, Margaret’s...
- 4/5/2024
- by Matthew Turner
- Nerdly
The horror prequel “The First Omen” and the action thriller “Monkey Man” arrive in theaters this weekend, but they’ll be no match for the mighty force of “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.”
20th Century Studios’ “The First Omen” opened with $725,000 in previews at the box office, while Universal’s “Monkey Man” opened a bit higher with $1.4 million.
It may be a close finish, but “The First Omen” is expected to pull away and finish in second place behind “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.” The horror movie, a prequel to 1976’s classic “The Omen,” is projected to make between $14 million and $15 million in its opening weekend. “Monkey Man,” which was directed, co-written and stars Dev Patel, aims for a $12 million launch.
Last week’s box office champ, “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” beat expectations and opened with a very strong $80 million. In its second weekend, Warner Bros....
20th Century Studios’ “The First Omen” opened with $725,000 in previews at the box office, while Universal’s “Monkey Man” opened a bit higher with $1.4 million.
It may be a close finish, but “The First Omen” is expected to pull away and finish in second place behind “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.” The horror movie, a prequel to 1976’s classic “The Omen,” is projected to make between $14 million and $15 million in its opening weekend. “Monkey Man,” which was directed, co-written and stars Dev Patel, aims for a $12 million launch.
Last week’s box office champ, “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” beat expectations and opened with a very strong $80 million. In its second weekend, Warner Bros....
- 4/5/2024
- by Jordan Moreau
- Variety Film + TV
Dev Patel‘s highly anticipated feature directorial debut Monkey Man bested 20 Century’s supernatural franchise horror pic The First Omen in Thursday night previews at the domestic box office.
Monkey Man earned $1.4 million in previews, compared to $725,000 for The First Omen, a prequel to Richard Donner’s 1976 film. For the full weekend, tracking has been predicting a close race between the two films for second place with $12 million to $14 million each.
Legendary and Warner Bros.’ Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is easily expected to stay No. 1 in its second outing after opening to a notable $80 million, well ahead of expectations. On Thursday, it jumped the $100 million mark domestically and and could near or clear $300 million globally by Sunday.
Universal is distributing Monkey Man at the behest of Jordan Peele, who was so impressed with Patel’s film that Peele’s Monkey Paw Productions boarded the project and brought it to Universal,...
Monkey Man earned $1.4 million in previews, compared to $725,000 for The First Omen, a prequel to Richard Donner’s 1976 film. For the full weekend, tracking has been predicting a close race between the two films for second place with $12 million to $14 million each.
Legendary and Warner Bros.’ Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is easily expected to stay No. 1 in its second outing after opening to a notable $80 million, well ahead of expectations. On Thursday, it jumped the $100 million mark domestically and and could near or clear $300 million globally by Sunday.
Universal is distributing Monkey Man at the behest of Jordan Peele, who was so impressed with Patel’s film that Peele’s Monkey Paw Productions boarded the project and brought it to Universal,...
- 4/5/2024
- by Pamela McClintock
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Nell Tiger Free in The First OmenPhoto: Moris Puccio/20th Century Studios
Horror prequels have a tendency to fizzle for a number of reasons, whether they lean too hard on the lore of the original or they start telegraphing all the punches that made the film they’re prequelizing scary to begin with.
Horror prequels have a tendency to fizzle for a number of reasons, whether they lean too hard on the lore of the original or they start telegraphing all the punches that made the film they’re prequelizing scary to begin with.
- 4/5/2024
- by Matthew Jackson
- avclub.com
The First Omen releases in theaters on April 5th, 2024.
I don’t know to what extent The Omen (1976) is considered a classic, but the truth is that it was one of the most profitable films of its respective year, it has one of the most memorable scores of that decade – so much so that it even won an Oscar, something extremely rare considering the genre – and, of course, it spawned several sequels and even a remake over all these years. The First Omen is the sixth installment of the franchise and, as the title indicates, it’s a prequel to the original movie. It’s also the directorial debut of Arkasha Stevenson who also co-writes the screenplay along with Tim Smith and Keith Tomas (Firestarter).
Margaret Daino (Nell Tiger Free) is a young American woman sent to Rome to start a devout life for the church, but she encounters strange...
I don’t know to what extent The Omen (1976) is considered a classic, but the truth is that it was one of the most profitable films of its respective year, it has one of the most memorable scores of that decade – so much so that it even won an Oscar, something extremely rare considering the genre – and, of course, it spawned several sequels and even a remake over all these years. The First Omen is the sixth installment of the franchise and, as the title indicates, it’s a prequel to the original movie. It’s also the directorial debut of Arkasha Stevenson who also co-writes the screenplay along with Tim Smith and Keith Tomas (Firestarter).
Margaret Daino (Nell Tiger Free) is a young American woman sent to Rome to start a devout life for the church, but she encounters strange...
- 4/5/2024
- by Manuel São Bento
- FandomWire
Dev Patel’s feature directorial debut Monkey Man leads the new films at this weekend’s UK-Ireland box office, starting in 592 cinemas through Universal.
Directed, produced, from a story by and starring Patel, Monkey Man follows an anonymous young man who unleashes a campaign of violence against the corrupt leaders who murdered his mother, and continue to systematically victimise the poor and powerless.
Filmed in early 2021, Netflix originally bought worldwide rights to Monkey Man. After Jordan Peele boarded the title as producer through his Monkeypaw Productions, Universal acquired it from Netflix earlier this year. It debuted at SXSW last month.
Directed, produced, from a story by and starring Patel, Monkey Man follows an anonymous young man who unleashes a campaign of violence against the corrupt leaders who murdered his mother, and continue to systematically victimise the poor and powerless.
Filmed in early 2021, Netflix originally bought worldwide rights to Monkey Man. After Jordan Peele boarded the title as producer through his Monkeypaw Productions, Universal acquired it from Netflix earlier this year. It debuted at SXSW last month.
- 4/5/2024
- ScreenDaily
The First Omen Movie Review Rating:
Star Cast: Nell Tiger Free, Tawkeef Barhom, Sonia Braga, Ralph Ineson, Bill Nighy
Director: Arkasha Stevenson
The First Omen Movie Review Out ( Photo Credit – IMDb )
What’s Good: The story and the performances
What’s Bad: The first half is a bit slow
Loo Break: You can take one in the first half if you can’t control
Watch or Not?: If you are craving some good horror & are a fan of the franchise – Yes
Language: English
Available On: Theatrical release
Runtime: 120 Minutes
User Rating:
The First Omen is a prequel to The Omen (1976) that gave us the horrific world of Damien and everything evil that followed. The 2024 film is set in 1971. Margaret (Nell Tiger Free), a young American, arrives in Rome to work at the Vizzardeli Orphanage, where she will take the veil. The more time Margaret spends in the orphanage, the...
Star Cast: Nell Tiger Free, Tawkeef Barhom, Sonia Braga, Ralph Ineson, Bill Nighy
Director: Arkasha Stevenson
The First Omen Movie Review Out ( Photo Credit – IMDb )
What’s Good: The story and the performances
What’s Bad: The first half is a bit slow
Loo Break: You can take one in the first half if you can’t control
Watch or Not?: If you are craving some good horror & are a fan of the franchise – Yes
Language: English
Available On: Theatrical release
Runtime: 120 Minutes
User Rating:
The First Omen is a prequel to The Omen (1976) that gave us the horrific world of Damien and everything evil that followed. The 2024 film is set in 1971. Margaret (Nell Tiger Free), a young American, arrives in Rome to work at the Vizzardeli Orphanage, where she will take the veil. The more time Margaret spends in the orphanage, the...
- 4/5/2024
- by Pooja Darade
- KoiMoi
This article contains major spoilers for "The First Omen."Hello folks! Welcome back to Nunsploitation 2024: Battle of the Babies.
When last we left the saga of Damien Thorn, it was 1981, and Damien was played by the devilishly handsome Sam Neill in "The Final Conflict." In that film, the Antichrist nearly fulfilled his evil purpose in halting the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, but was foiled by his one-time lover, journalist Kate Reynolds (Lisa Harrow), who through the grace of God and her own strength was able to fatally stab Damien with the magical dagger of Megiddo, the weapon that poor Robert Thorn (Gregory Peck) failed to use against his adopted son Damien (Harvey Spencer Stephens) when he was a child in 1976.
If a 33-year-old Damien in 1981 seems implausible given that the first film sees Damien as merely five years of age and the 1978 sequel, "Damien: Omen II" follows the...
When last we left the saga of Damien Thorn, it was 1981, and Damien was played by the devilishly handsome Sam Neill in "The Final Conflict." In that film, the Antichrist nearly fulfilled his evil purpose in halting the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, but was foiled by his one-time lover, journalist Kate Reynolds (Lisa Harrow), who through the grace of God and her own strength was able to fatally stab Damien with the magical dagger of Megiddo, the weapon that poor Robert Thorn (Gregory Peck) failed to use against his adopted son Damien (Harvey Spencer Stephens) when he was a child in 1976.
If a 33-year-old Damien in 1981 seems implausible given that the first film sees Damien as merely five years of age and the 1978 sequel, "Damien: Omen II" follows the...
- 4/4/2024
- by Bill Bria
- Slash Film
What to expect when you’re expecting … the Antichrist?
Filmmaker Arkasha Stevenson delivers her gleefully gruesome answer to that increasingly popular question in 20th Century’s terrifying and triumphant “The First Omen.” It’s a nominally named soft franchise reboot and the vastly superior (if accidental) answer to Neon’s “Immaculate” with Sydney Sweeney, also in theaters now.
Yes, both horror films explore what happens when a child of Christ is involuntarily forced to carry a demon baby to term. And yes, both movies have some merit; trite but true, Damien just doesn’t have that “Cassie from ‘Euphoria’” pull. But only Stevenson’s spin on “The Omen” can tie its borderline Nc-17 terror to a multi-decade genre legacy suddenly feasting on noticeably improved visual artistry and a narratively satisfying revamp of stale IP.
In “The First Omen,” Nell Tiger Free stars as Margaret, an American nun in training come...
Filmmaker Arkasha Stevenson delivers her gleefully gruesome answer to that increasingly popular question in 20th Century’s terrifying and triumphant “The First Omen.” It’s a nominally named soft franchise reboot and the vastly superior (if accidental) answer to Neon’s “Immaculate” with Sydney Sweeney, also in theaters now.
Yes, both horror films explore what happens when a child of Christ is involuntarily forced to carry a demon baby to term. And yes, both movies have some merit; trite but true, Damien just doesn’t have that “Cassie from ‘Euphoria’” pull. But only Stevenson’s spin on “The Omen” can tie its borderline Nc-17 terror to a multi-decade genre legacy suddenly feasting on noticeably improved visual artistry and a narratively satisfying revamp of stale IP.
In “The First Omen,” Nell Tiger Free stars as Margaret, an American nun in training come...
- 4/4/2024
- by Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
A film can live or die by its club scene. A successful one captures the dance floor as a world onto itself. As Barbara Ehrenreich theorizes in Dancing in the Streets, it’s a place of “ecstatic ritual.” And as evinced by one thrilling sequence from Arkasha Stevenson’s The First Omen, a prequel to 1976’s The Omen, it’s where the divine and the blasphemous dance hand in hand. In the film, soaring choral notes blur the lines between the holy and the profane, just as the club’s strobing lights derange the thrillingly sexy and the dangerous.
The night before she takes the veil, Margaret (Nell Tiger Free) trepidatiously grabs her last opportunity to experience what she’s about to relinquish to the Catholic Church. The young American, who’s recently relocated to Rome to work at a convent that runs an orphanage, trades her novitiate garb for...
The night before she takes the veil, Margaret (Nell Tiger Free) trepidatiously grabs her last opportunity to experience what she’s about to relinquish to the Catholic Church. The young American, who’s recently relocated to Rome to work at a convent that runs an orphanage, trades her novitiate garb for...
- 4/4/2024
- by Kyle Turner
- Slant Magazine
I am not sure the world asked for yet another take on 20th Century Fox’s Omen franchise, the constantly regurgitated series with Damien (who made the numbers 666 iconic) and company. Since the 1976 original, when Damien first appeared in the movie with Gregory Peck and Lee Remick, we have had Damien: Omen II, The Final Conflict, Omen IV: The Awakening (in which a girl becomes the antichrist for the first time), the 2006 remake The Omen, and even a 2016 Damien TV series. Of course, like all these horror franchises, it is inevitable someone would come up with the idea for an origin story, and that is what we now have with The First Omen, which is, of course, not the first, just the latest. But, set in 1971, it does attempt to take us right to the doorstep of the actual first, the Richard Donner-directed 1976 starter.
The past few months have...
The past few months have...
- 4/4/2024
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
Nobody could predict that a theatrical Omen prequel would go as hard as Arkasha Stevenson’s The First Omen. There’s minimal wiggle room for narrative surprises leading into 1976’s blasphemous horror tale about the antichrist, yet Stevenson oversees a frightening and stimulating franchise origin. Rosemary’s Baby and The Omen surface as obvious sources of inspiration, but The First Omen compares cleanest to Neon’s religion-roasting Sydney Sweeney vehicle Immaculate. Stevenson unleashes astonishingly graphic imagery that’d make Immaculate blush, and despite how the two-hour running time presents laggy pacing issues, The First Omen successfully executes standalone appeal while fulfilling its promise of being all for you, Damien.
The film’s events occur in Rome’s Vizzardeli Orphanage, where American candidate Margaret Daino (Nell Tiger Free) transfers to earn her status as a Sister. Cardinal Lawrence (Bill Nighy) extends a familiar welcome since he’s known Margaret since childhood.
The film’s events occur in Rome’s Vizzardeli Orphanage, where American candidate Margaret Daino (Nell Tiger Free) transfers to earn her status as a Sister. Cardinal Lawrence (Bill Nighy) extends a familiar welcome since he’s known Margaret since childhood.
- 4/4/2024
- by Matt Donato
- DailyDead
When a young American woman is dispatched to Rome to embark on a life devoted to serving the Catholic Church she encounters a malevolent force that prompts her to question her own beliefs. Unveiling a chilling conspiracy aimed at ushering in the birth of pure evil, she soon finds herself grappling with profound existential doubts and utter terror.
Sound familiar? Remarkably, this isn’t the plot of the recently acclaimed horror film Immaculate starring Sidney Sweeney, which has garnered immense praise from horror enthusiasts and is poised to join the ranks of cult classics. Instead, it serves as the premise for the latest installment in the long-standing Omen franchise, set for release a mere two weeks after Sweeney’s film.
Directed by Arkasha Stevenson and based on a story by screenwriter Ben Jacoby, The First Omen serves as a direct prequel to Richard Donner and David Seltzer’s 1976 film and...
Sound familiar? Remarkably, this isn’t the plot of the recently acclaimed horror film Immaculate starring Sidney Sweeney, which has garnered immense praise from horror enthusiasts and is poised to join the ranks of cult classics. Instead, it serves as the premise for the latest installment in the long-standing Omen franchise, set for release a mere two weeks after Sweeney’s film.
Directed by Arkasha Stevenson and based on a story by screenwriter Ben Jacoby, The First Omen serves as a direct prequel to Richard Donner and David Seltzer’s 1976 film and...
- 4/4/2024
- by Linda Marric
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
When compared to "classier" Satanic contemporaries like "Rosemary's Baby" and "The Exorcist," Richard Donner's 1976 hit "The Omen" is the pulpiest of the lot. "The Omen" had no interest in the sexist panic of the former, nor the religious angst of the latter, settling instead in the realm of spooky thrillers, replete with cool kills, portentous Satanic language, and an awesome score (a score that brought Jerry Goldsmith his only Oscar). There's no ambiguity to "The Omen," being clear from the start that Gregory Peck and Lee Remick are indeed raising the Antichrist. The pop Satanism "The Omen" introduced into the lexicon has now become standard horror fare, and was even spoofed at length in the TV series "Good Omens."
"The Omen" spawned one okay sequel ("Damien: Omen II" in 1978), one risibly bad sequel ("The Final Conflict" in 1981), and one miserably bad sequel ("Omen IV: The Awakening" in 1991) before succumbing...
"The Omen" spawned one okay sequel ("Damien: Omen II" in 1978), one risibly bad sequel ("The Final Conflict" in 1981), and one miserably bad sequel ("Omen IV: The Awakening" in 1991) before succumbing...
- 4/4/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
It’s a bit of a mixed bag being a nun in The First Omen. One minute you’re enjoying smutty talk with the sisters while peeling potatoes, or jumping on a trampoline smoking a cig, and the next you’re at the center of a terrifying conspiracy which could change the world as we know it.
A direct prequel to the original 1976 Richard Donner movie, at it’s best The First Omen is an intriguing bit of new lore for a beloved franchise that is also very much its own film—and an intensely female one at that. Director Arkasha Steveson, who makes her feature debut here but is best know for TV including Channel Zero, Legion, and Brand New Cherry Flavor, shows whispers of the indie auteur in her directing style. There’s an art house, elevated body horror within the trappings of this franchise movie which marks...
A direct prequel to the original 1976 Richard Donner movie, at it’s best The First Omen is an intriguing bit of new lore for a beloved franchise that is also very much its own film—and an intensely female one at that. Director Arkasha Steveson, who makes her feature debut here but is best know for TV including Channel Zero, Legion, and Brand New Cherry Flavor, shows whispers of the indie auteur in her directing style. There’s an art house, elevated body horror within the trappings of this franchise movie which marks...
- 4/4/2024
- by Rosie Fletcher
- Den of Geek
Nell Tiger Free is a terrified nun who discovers a dark secret at the heart of the Catholic church. Here’s our The First Omen review.
After what felt like an eternity of no decent or exciting horror films, we’re incredibly lucky to have three land in our laps within a few weeks. We’ve already been impressed by Sydney Sweeney’s powerhouse performance in Immaculate and terrified silly by David Dastmalchian’s talk show horror with a satanic spin in Late Night With The Devil, but I doubt any of us expecting The First Omen, a prequel to Richard Donner’s 1976 film The Omen, to join those two as early favourites for the best horror films of 2024.
We’ve been burned many times with these prequels, reboots and sequels which heavily borrow from some of our favourite classic horror films. The Exorcist: Believer is still all too fresh in our minds…...
After what felt like an eternity of no decent or exciting horror films, we’re incredibly lucky to have three land in our laps within a few weeks. We’ve already been impressed by Sydney Sweeney’s powerhouse performance in Immaculate and terrified silly by David Dastmalchian’s talk show horror with a satanic spin in Late Night With The Devil, but I doubt any of us expecting The First Omen, a prequel to Richard Donner’s 1976 film The Omen, to join those two as early favourites for the best horror films of 2024.
We’ve been burned many times with these prequels, reboots and sequels which heavily borrow from some of our favourite classic horror films. The Exorcist: Believer is still all too fresh in our minds…...
- 4/4/2024
- by Maria Lattila
- Film Stories
“Why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners?” spat Hamlet. “Get thee to a nunnery!” Oh, if the Prince of Darkness … er, Denmark, only knew what evil lurks within such walls.
In the first “Omen” movie, the infant Antichrist, Damien — born at 6 a.m. on the sixth day of the sixth month — is given to an American diplomat and his wife to be raised as their own. The adoptive father is told that the boy’s mother died during childbirth, but upon closer investigation, he discovers not a human skeleton but that of a jackal. For nearly half a century, that was practically all the backstory audiences needed for “The Omen” to remain one of the most terrifying movies ever made.
Now comes “The First Omen,” the latest in a frenzy of high-profile prequels fleshing out the origins of long-running franchises. Tapping into another trend, “The Omen” also got the...
In the first “Omen” movie, the infant Antichrist, Damien — born at 6 a.m. on the sixth day of the sixth month — is given to an American diplomat and his wife to be raised as their own. The adoptive father is told that the boy’s mother died during childbirth, but upon closer investigation, he discovers not a human skeleton but that of a jackal. For nearly half a century, that was practically all the backstory audiences needed for “The Omen” to remain one of the most terrifying movies ever made.
Now comes “The First Omen,” the latest in a frenzy of high-profile prequels fleshing out the origins of long-running franchises. Tapping into another trend, “The Omen” also got the...
- 4/4/2024
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
What To Watch This Weekend List. (Photo Credit – IMDb/Instagram)
It’s that time of the week when one wonders what to watch this weekend. The last week of March had some good releases due to a long weekend. But do not worry. April 2024 also comes with some entertaining surprises and quality content. From Manjummel Boys (Telugu version) to The Family Star, South Indian movie lovers have interesting options. There are some Hollywood releases, too.
If you do not want to step out and want to watch something sitting on your favourite couch, even the Ott platforms have good options for you. In this article, we have listed some titles that can make it to your what to watch this weekend list.
Take A Look At What to Watch This Weekend List For April Week 1 – Trending April 2024 Ott Releases: From HanuMan’s Final Arrival To Farrey & Amar Singh Chamkila, When...
It’s that time of the week when one wonders what to watch this weekend. The last week of March had some good releases due to a long weekend. But do not worry. April 2024 also comes with some entertaining surprises and quality content. From Manjummel Boys (Telugu version) to The Family Star, South Indian movie lovers have interesting options. There are some Hollywood releases, too.
If you do not want to step out and want to watch something sitting on your favourite couch, even the Ott platforms have good options for you. In this article, we have listed some titles that can make it to your what to watch this weekend list.
Take A Look At What to Watch This Weekend List For April Week 1 – Trending April 2024 Ott Releases: From HanuMan’s Final Arrival To Farrey & Amar Singh Chamkila, When...
- 4/4/2024
- by Pooja Darade
- KoiMoi
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