Damien - Omen II
Short description
Damien Thorn was adopted by his wealthy aunt and uncle after the suspicious deaths of his parents, and he now lives with them in Chicago. At thirteen, he is sent with his cousin Mark to a military academy, where an instructor takes an unusual interest in him. Damien begins to understand that he is the Antichrist and starts to explore the power that comes with it. His uncle Richard Thorn, meanwhile, faces trouble in his business dealings, and people who stand in the way of Damien's inheritance or who come close to learning who he really is tend to die suddenly and violently. The path to control of the Thorn corporation, and beyond it the world, runs through a growing trail of deaths.
This sequel to The Omen was directed by Don Taylor, the sixth of the eight films he directed in chronological order, following The Island of Dr. Moreau and preceding The Final Countdown. Mike Hodges and Stanley Mann wrote the screenplay, and Harvey Bernhard, Charles Orme and Joseph Lenzi produced. William Holden plays Richard Thorn, Lee Grant plays Ann Thorn, and Jonathan Scott-Taylor plays Damien, with Robert Foxworth, Nicholas Pryor and Lew Ayres among the credited cast of thirty-four.
Made for about 7 million dollars, the film took roughly 27 million dollars worldwide, a strong return on its budget. On IMDb it holds a rating of 5.1 out of 10 from 27 reviews, while on TMDB it averages 6.4 out of 10 from 857 votes, so viewers rate it noticeably higher than the critics do.
What's left behind the scenes
- William Holden (1918-1981) was offered the role of Richard Thorn in the first installment of the franchise, but he refused to appear in a film about the devil and declined the offer. Gregory Peck (1916-2003) was cast instead. The film was a huge success, and Holden eagerly accepted the offer to play the same role in the sequel.
- Initially, there were plans to film a third film in the franchise starring Jonathan Scott-Taylor, but the film did not meet expectations, and the idea of making a continuation was abandoned.
- David Zelzer declined the offer to write the screenplay, as he was not interested in working on sequels. Years later, he stated that if he had agreed to write the sequel's screenplay, it would have begun on the day the plot of Richard Donner's (1930-2021) 'The Omen' (1976) concluded.
- For the scene of the heroine's death, played by Elizabeth Shepard, birdseed was placed in the wig of a stunt double to attract a bird.
- Students from the North-Western Military Academy of St. John in Delafield, Wisconsin, played the roles of military school students.
- Don Taylor (1920-1998) replaced Mike Hodges as director due to creative differences, but the scenes Hodges had already filmed (at the factory, military school, etc.) were left in the film.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
