Lifetime is changing gears for another new series. Although the network seems obsessed with making biopics for every celebrity who died young, the executives there have picked up Damien, a new project from The Walking Dead’s Glen Mazzara, straight to series.
Damien was picked up for six episodes, which will air early next year, TheWrap reports. It will be a 20th Century Fox TV production, under Mazzara’s overall deal with the studio. Obviously, Fox would be the producer of the project, since the film studio released the original horror film, The Omen, which will be the launch point for the story.
The new series will pick up years after the 1976 film, following the mysterious child now all grown up. Now, he has to deal with his destiny and the fact that he is the Antichrist.
“We are thrilled to be bringing a contemporary version of The Omen's Damien Thorn back to the screen," Lifetime exec vp and GM Rob Sharenow said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “Glen Mazzara has re-imagined him as a dark, romantic, anti-hero and this fresh take blends complex characters with premium storytelling to make something truly original.”
Mazarra is a former showrunner on AMC’s The Walking Dead, so he knows a few things about making a TV show to scare audiences. He was also hired by Warner Bros. to work on Overlook Hotel, a prequel to Stephen King’s The Shining.
The Omen was a big hit in 1976 and spawned two theatrical sequels and two television sequels. A 2006 remake grossed $120 million worldwide.