I could start this story by ranting about how bothersome remakes are, but like them or not they’re coming. In this case the remake is the classic Richard Donner film, The Omen which, despite having a pretty near perfect cast (including Gregory Peck, David Warner, and Lee Remick) has been targeted by Fox to be remade. Do you think Damien’s nanny will go around as a girl-gone-wild, flashing her boobies as the sign of the beast is revealed? Maybe she can do the rooftop noose dive in a T-shirt for “The Simpsons” which falls off when the rope snaps tight.
Disgust for a remake aside, the cast is starting to form for this remake. Yesterday’s Variety announced that Julia Stiles and Liev Schreiber were in negotiations to play the Thorns, the parents to the little devil (literally) Damien. Schreiber is no stranger to remakes, having starred in last year’s rather successful Manchurian Candidate redux, although as talented as I think he is, he is no Gregory Peck.
And while we’re on the cast, Ain’t It Cool News is claiming to have the lowdown on the trouble making brat himself, Damien Thorn. According to their contacts, the antichrist will be played by John Hutcherson, who performed as one of the soulless CGI characters in The Polar Express, appeared with Paul Giamatti (who seems to have a pact with the devil to have a career despite his non-Hollywood looks) in American Splendor, and stars in the upcoming Zathura (which might want to get the blood ink ready for its pact to avoid a Jumanji like failure with critics). The point I’m making is the kid has already surrounded himself by the devil’s minions, so why not play Damien while he’s connected?
