Damien - General Discussion

[Meredith Quill]

Discuss Damien here!

[technorebel]

I've seen the original movie so many times, as well as the sequels, and loved them all.  I understand this tv series is going to be different than the movies and will go back into his childhood before he knew his satanic destiny.  It sounds creepy and I'm all in.

[BetterButter]

Bradley James To Play Lead In Lifetime’s ‘The Omen’ Sequel Series ‘Damien'; Shekhar Kapur To Direct

[AmazingGrace]

http://deadline.com/2015/02/megalyn-echikunwoke-cast-damien-aisha-hinds-breed-1201367783/

 

Courtesy of deadline.com, Glen Mazzara and the Omen Online (via Twitter).

 

Casting update: Megalyn Echikunwoke cast in "Damien"

[AmazingGrace]

I guess I should put this here, before we get more information.

 

Does anyone know what else is being retconned?  After reading the minor spoiler -- I hope this will NOT be a Twilight-type story for adults.

 

I'm not fond of this being on Lifetime. It seems that Lifetime wants to mimic AMC.

 

*Did the events in Omen I happen? Did Robert Thorn try to kill Damien in the church because he realized he was the Antichrist?

*If Damien does not know who he is until later - where did he grow up? Did he still live with his Uncle Richard?  - was he adopted by the President of the United States? (but that's only if Robert and Kathy Thorn existed in this canon).

 

*Damien's age doesn't bother me, as it was the studio that wanted Damien to be 13 in Part II, what bothers me is he doesn't know who he is until

so late.

 

And we can forget about Part III. I haven't seen that one all the way through.

 

Will it be set in modern day? (as all the Omen films are).

 

Will music be utilized? David Chase chose music very effectively on The Sopranos.  I read that Jerry Goldsmith's Ave Satani won't be used,

which will be very strange. It should at least be used in the title sequence.

 

*Also is this just a mini-series, but if the ratings are great, will it be picked up for more episodes?

 

That said, I'd like to see a serious adapation of the Omen Story, which I don't think Lifetime is the venue for this type of film/series. HBO would be ideal, a cinematic venture would be even better.

 

From what I've read: http://deadline.com/2014/12/bradley-james-damien-tv-show-cast-omen-prequel-lifetime-1201307622/

 

(although, the word prequel in the URL is incorrect, this is not a prequel).

 

"Damien" has the potential to be either great or horrible with no middle ground.

 

What does everyone else think?

Edited February 13, 2015 by AmazingGrace

[technorebel]

So in this one Damien's going to be an adult already and not know who he is?  I don't know about that.  I'm sure I'll watch it though.

[AmazingGrace]

technorebel, I'll be watching too....it's one thing to do a retcon something that fixes a missing plothole or something like that, but it's another if you ruin the whole premise. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

 

New update on imdb.com - an addition to the cast with character name.

 

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1859475/

Edited February 23, 2015 by AmazingGrace

[Skyline]

Damien, an hour-long scripted drama

from Fox 21 Television Studios

with executive producer Glen

Mazzara, will have a 10-episode season

on A&E, up from the initial six-episode

straight to series order it was given by

Lifetime.

https://www.ew.com/article/2015/04/29/the-omen-damien-a-e

Edited May 10, 2015 by Skyline

[BetterButter]

[LeighAnne]

The people at Flicks and the City recorded the Damien panel at the 2015 San Diego Comic Con:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WirseecKJs

 

[BetterButter]

[Primetimer]

Hey, that fox from iZombie!

Read the story

[greenbean]

I'm looking forward to this show, hopefully it's good.

[Primetimer]

Or will it take all the hounds of Hell to make you watch the Devil's son work out his daddy issues?

Read the story

[Jamoche]

"I believe that there's a lot that could be mined from the "surprise, your dad is Satan" vein in the right hands"

And those hands would be Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.

[PugLoaf]

It was originally intended for Lifetime? Reading that line made me mix this up with South of Hell but that was a crappy demon based show for WE. So many demon shows, so many crappy networks.

[beadgirl]

I would totally watch a TV series of Good Omens, Jamoche.  This, not so much.

[Cigale]

I like the subject, it could be very good depending on how much the show runner is left alone. On the other hand, they could benefit from better directors; tonight, I found the direction, editing, etc, really subpar.

[Bruinsfan]

I did like that we got glimpses of characters/actors from the movie, especially that traumatic church scene with Gregory Peck. Though shouldn't Damien Thorne be in his mid 40s by now? Are they altering when the events of the movie happened to make his origin more recent and match Bradley James' age, or did Damien stop aging once he hit his prime and people just aren't mentioning it?

[placate]

"I believe that there's a lot that could be mined from the "surprise, your dad is Satan" vein in the right hands"

And those hands would be Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.

Hasn't Good Omens been in development hell for decades? That is seriously one of my favorite books. I'm just glad that Starz is adapting American Gods.

 

The pilot was decent. Many gruesome deaths. I don't like Damien being a flat earth atheist or using rottis to maul a priest to death. Rottis, if raised in a decent family are wonderful dogs. Depicting them as hellhounds is mean. That said I like dogs more than I like humans, so I'm pretty biased.

[Chicago Redshirt]

I watched "The Omen" just prior to Damien.

 

I actually think I would prefer full-on campy evil Damien to the conflicted, emo, amnesiac version we're getting. Although now that he's coming into his own, maybe Damien will move closer to that.

 

I know it's just a pilot, but I wanted to know more about why Damien was being a war photographer rather than an aspiring politician or some such. Or nothing. Presumably, he has inherited millions from his parents as in the movie, and he also has minions working behind the scenes so he doesn't need to work. 

 

One of the things about the movie was that when the photographer developed his pictures, it showed how victims of Satan were destined to die. I wonder if they will carry that over here.

 

I did like that we got glimpses of characters/actors from the movie, especially that traumatic church scene with Gregory Peck. Though shouldn't Damien Thorne be in his mid 40s by now? Are they altering when the events of the movie happened to make his origin more recent and match Bradley James' age, or did Damien stop aging once he hit his prime and people just aren't mentioning it?

 

It looks like they've chosen to take "The Omen" as if it happened substantially later than its release date of 1976. The pilot stated Damien is just now turning 30. So he would have born in 1986, and so all the stuff from the movie happened around 1991.Why people are dressed like the 70s in 1991, we'll have to handwave.

 

The pilot was decent. Many gruesome deaths. I don't like Damien being a flat earth atheist or using rottis to maul a priest to death. Rottis, if raised in a decent family are wonderful dogs. Depicting them as hellhounds is mean. That said I like dogs more than I like humans, so I'm pretty biased.

 

The movie had one rott as a demonic influence on/protector of Damien. I figure they couldn't really deviate, but I guess they didn't need to triple down.

[portfino]

 Rottis, if raised in a decent family

I think that answers itself.

 

Barbara Hershey was great in her one scene, and I've like Bradley James in iZombie. But I just don't get this take on having a conflicted, tortured Damien Thorn with amnesia to boot. Who thought that was a good idea? Also, I wish this was shot in NYC. It looks very Canadian.

[Bruinsfan]

I don't like Damien being a flat earth atheist or using rottis to maul a priest to death. Rottis, if raised in a decent family are wonderful dogs. Depicting them as hellhounds is mean.

I suppose it wouldn't be as cinematically appealing to have a pack of chihuahuas tearing people apart when they get too close to Damien's secret (even if their disposition suits being in service to Hell much better). But even well-raised rottweilers can be prone to biting on impulse, and they are big, intimidating-looking dogs.

[AmazingGrace]

Pilot was a tad choppy and considering how important Kelly was (she was the gf of Damien not Simone like I originally thought), she never really emoted much, until her death scene, which was kind of hokey. The way the professor died was scary and well done. I think it might have been better with one dog instead of three.

- Bugenhagen died same year as Robert and Jennings, as we know Mazzara is only taking canon from the first film.

- Those priests have the daggers. How did they get them?

I did enjoy Bradley James and Barbara Hershey. It's hard to tell a show from the pilot as changes can be made.

I like the little tidbit of Damien being kicked out of a bunch of schools.

I give it a solid B.+

I hope A&E gives the show a chance to find its stride and grow.

[Chicago Redshirt]

I could see why on paper having conflicted Damien might make sense -- it's hard to have a protagonist who is the unrelenting embodiment of evil, and the (non-final) conflict and amnesia allows the audience to discover things as Damien does. 

 

A fully aware, fully groomed from childhood Damien has no excuse for not getting on with his Antichrist stuff. This way, he is going to have an excuse to sort of stumble around for a while and the writers won't have to have everything mapped out. 

 

Also, it creates a little mystery that might entice people -- what exactly caused Damien's amnesia? The forces of good? the forces of evil? Damien himself? Or what?

Not saying I prefer amnesia/conflict/emo -- in fact, I don't, as I said above. I just understand why they might have gone with it.

 

On another front: the God Squad in this pilot were kind of pathetic.

 

Oh no, it's Damien, the very guy my mentor warned me is the Antichrist. Better invite him and this chick in and explain to him that he is the Antichrist. There was no shock or horror on that guy at all.

 

Oh, noes, the professor guy was killed. Toldja we should have taken out Damien years ago. Wait, what? They knew about Damien and didn't try to have the Antichrist killed?

[DonitsYum]

It took me 45 minutes to figure out that Arthur Pendragon was Damien. He let his Brit accent slip.

This was very silly but I'll watch another one just to make sure.

[xyzzy]

While I greatly appreciate that they're only using the first movie as canon (and not the horrendous remake), the clothing, vehicles, and props from the first movie are impossibly dated and difficult to handwave. The intense use of the movie music was also supremely distracting. Finding 666 tattooed on his skull was expected but also amusing--there is actually some fairly new scholarship that shows 666 to be a translation error, and that the actual NotB is 616. It would have been neat if the show knew that and made a nod. Oh well.

 

I might give this one more episode.

[Lostinthehouse]

Frankly, I forgot about this last night, but lo and behold - my DVR did not forget.  What a bunch of garbage!  OK, they wanted to reference back to the original movie (which, IMHO, is in the canon of horror films), and showing scenes from the film was good to anyone who never saw the original.  But how DARE they show the great Gregory Peck in this drivel.  Seeing his photograph with Lee Remick and the young Damien annoyed me, but to show the original scene where he takes Damien into the church blasphemed this great actor!  <are you getting the feeling I didn't like the show?>  Leave Gregory Peck out of this before he starts rolling in his grave!

 

Rant aside, didn't like the actor playing Damien, didn't like that the ex-girlfriend dies a horrible death, didn't like the name change from Buchenhagen to Lugenhagen, didn't like the whole Damascus intro (yawn) except for the creepy old lady.

 

Will I continue to let my DVR record this mess?  Yup.  Because I want to see how low it can go.  Or how much better (ha ha) it will get.  But one or two more clunkers and the "Do Not Record This Series" button gets pushed on the DVR.

[Bruinsfan]

I do wish either Lucifer had this show's production values or Bradley James had Tom Ellis' charm and ability to switch on scariness like a light.

[islandgal140]

Meh.

 

You would think that at age 30 Satan's hell spawn would be further along in life. Doesn't he have a cabal of influential Satanist behind him? I don't believe there would have been a hands off, watch from afar policy raising him. Shouldn't he be some magnetic billionaire or a congressman or an attache to some international muckity much or at the very least a lawyer? Wasn't the point of making sure he was placed with Gregory Peck's character was that he could more easily rise to political prominence? Makes no sense that he should be bouncing around as a freelance photographer, living in a loft on the poor side of town, after getting kicked out of every Ivy league school in the US.   Doesn't exactly sound like the makings of The Beast. 

 

The lead actor isn't charismatic, compelling and yes, good looking enough (MMV) to carry this role for me. 

Edited March 9, 2016 by islandgal140

[Bruinsfan]

I don't know about that last, neither Harvey Stephens nor Sam Neill strike me as particularly good-looking, but both were compelling in the role.

[Anela]

I didn't mind it, and I like the actor (from iZombie). I'm surprised they didn't have him keep his British accent.

[sugarbaker design]

Finding 666 tattooed on his skull was expected but also amusing--there is actually some fairly new scholarship that shows 666 to be a translation error, and that the actual NotB is 616.

 

 

But they're using the original movie as canon, and in the movie little Damien had a 666 birthmark.

 

I'm surprised they didn't have him keep his British accent.

 

 

That bummed me out, as we heard in the flashback, little Damien had an English accent.

[Chicago Redshirt]

Damien looked more like a traditional zombie than the same actor did when on iZombie. I am assuming that was deliberate on the part of the producers, and as he starts to live the Antichrist role, he will become more healthy looking and more lively.

[greenbean]

I think the actor has been miscast, he has zero charisma or presence for the role. And why does he have to be a typical CW hunk? Blah! The kid in Omen II did such a good job as young Damien, all the adult incarnations have been underwhelming to me. This is probably a nitpick on my part, but I also don't like that he's blond/light brown.

 

I found it to be a boring pilot. I have no idea why they've made him a war photographer, of all professions. It's the sort of thing you expect in fanfiction.

 

His amnesia is understandable as a plot device, but watching him flounder around, trying to find out who he is, was uninteresting. There are other ways they could have introduced internal conflict without dumbing him down.

 

The flashbacks made me want to watch the originals.

 

I'll catch a few more episodes, if things don't improve, I'll be off.

Edited March 13, 2016 by greenbean

[SimoneS]

I just watched this. It was okay. It might get better. I will try to remember to watch. It is on Mondays when there is nothing else on that I watch. Because it is Glen Mazzara and I like that actress who plays the deceased girlfriend's sister. She was Isabelle on the 4400. I presume that she will be a regular It took me a while to figure out where I know the actor playing Damian from, he played Arthur Pendragon. 

[Neurochick]

Bradley James was also in an episode of Homeland about a year ago.

 

Something in this show made me go, "oh dear."  In the opening credits Megalyn Echikunwoke's name was listed; the actress who played Kelly sort of looked like her but wasn't her.  Turns out she was Kelly's sister and right after we meet her, Kelly was killed.  Now, I wonder if the actress who played Kelly wasn't available for any more episodes, or someone didn't like her or what, because Megalyn EK (how she's listed in the credits) kind of looked like her and it looks like maybe she'll be Damien's gf now.  

[Dobian]

Is this show going off canon? I mean, the thirteen year old Damien learns exactly who he is in Omen 2. So does the Damien in this show really not remember anything up to his teenage years? I can understand him forgetting the events of the Omen because of all the trauma, but not the years following. What would have caused him to lose his memories after he started his official antichrist training with Robert Foxworth in the movies?

I'm also having a problem with Damien looking like he just finished a season on The Bachelor and being this sort of bland good guy who happens to have 666 tattooed on him. The teenage Damien was this smug, arrogant little prick even before he found out his true identity.

Edited March 14, 2016 by Dobian

[Fable]

I didn't see any sequels to The Omen, so I don't care one way or the other what happened in subsequent films and am happy to use just The Omen as my frame of reference.  I enjoyed this.  The atmosphere was appropriately creepy.  It dragged a little, but it was the pilot episode, so it was not a deal killer for me.  I'm looking forward to seeing this play out, and I'm especially interested in Barbara Hershey's character.   

[Dobian]

The problem this show may have is that in the movie, the people trying to learn what Damien is and stop him are the focus.  In this show, Damien himself is the focus.  So they are falling into this trap of making him conflicted and likable, which could hurt the series if they aren't careful.

[Anakerie]

I still rank the first two Omen movies as some of the scariest movies I've ever seen:  when Damien's father is searching through his hair and sees the numbers...always sends a chill up my spine no matter how many times I watch. So I'm willing to give Damien a chance and see what they can do with this show.  On the other hand? Damien, your real Dad is now running a nightclub in L.A. and in my opinion he's a lot hotter. (no pun intended).  

 

Damn it, now I want to see Dr. Phil bring on God, Lucifer and Damien for family counseling!

[DonitsYum]

Made it through 15 minutes of the second episode.  Dumb.  I'm out!

[Dobian]

Where's the episode 2 thread?

[Sonja]

Finding 666 tattooed on his skull was expected but also amusing--there is actually some fairly new scholarship that shows 666 to be a translation error, and that the actual NotB is 616. It would have been neat if the show knew that and made a nod. Oh well.

That explains Hawkeye's evil purple/pink costume in the Avengers 616 universe... Sorry, off topic, but that was my instant association.

 

I didn't see any sequels to The Omen, so I don't care one way or the other what happened in subsequent films and am happy to use just The Omen as my frame of reference. 

So do the producers actually, so you'll be fine. I have to admit I can't really remember the sequels. My brain tends to hit 'delete' on movies I didn't like but didn't detest enough to be angry about ;-)

 

I'm curious where they are planning to take the storyline and how fast. The first two eps were fine, but while I haven't seen much of most actors in this before, I know what Barbara Hershey can do with the right material and Bradley James was at times the only actor left in Merlin who still bothered to act. I'm hoping they pick up the pace in the next eps.

[Canada]

Wow, not a lot of comments on this show. 

 

For a TV show about the antichrist, it's been kind of boring so far.  And I really wish the actor playing Damien could just have his normal accent.  I can practically feel his tension as he tries to maintain an American accent.

 

One positive note, seeing the preview for next week... Herschel!!!!

[Dobian]

I was getting a lot of creepy cougar vibes when Hershey brought Damien home with her to show him some keepsakes from his past.  It's definitely not as scary when someone gets killed by the forces of darkness and Damien is trying to save them instead of giving the trademark smug evil look.  Hopefully he'll straighten that out before the end of the season.  Seeing the flashbacks to the movie was again great, though they are already running out of those.  I did like seeing that creepy nanny again, that woman used to give me nightmares.  This show needs another creepy nanny character. 

[jelaine]

I find the Robin Wiegart character interesting and Barbara Hershey extremely creepy, but I could do without all the animal violence.  I like Bradley James and think he can act, so I'm interested in seeing what he can do with the role, but I think a lot of that is going to depend on the writers.  Few actors can make gold out of shit.

[ennui]

It took me a while to place Bradley James … and then Merlin! Arthur! Light bulb moment.
I do like Omid Abtahi, so I’ll watch to see where his character goes.  Will the supportive best friend still be on board for the AntiChrist?

[ennui]

Second episode was dull. I've never liked Barbara Hershey.

[toodles]

I found this show with this episode. I like it. In fact, I recorded the first show. I can accept the show for what it is. Other than Saul, not much on Monday.

I'll keep with it until I hit my max "Are you f#=!+n kidding me quota. No hard number, but I'll know it when I see it.