Sam Raimi Confirms New Evil Dead Movie Being Developed With New Director

The Evil Dead and Army of Darkness director Sam Raimi confirms he’s developing another Evil Dead movie under a new director. When appearing at New York Comic Con, where Raimi is promoting Ghost House Pictures’ The Grudge reboot, Raimi said Evil Dead will continue with Evil Dead II star Bruce Campbell acting as producer. The franchise, last revived on the big screen in 2013 under director Fede Álvarez, continued on in the form of a since-cancelled television series, Ash vs Evil Dead, which again starred Campbell as his chainsaw-wielding character. After confirming Campbell will not star, Raimi teased, “There’s more Evil Dead coming.”

Earlier this year, Raimi said he’d “love to make another one,” telling Bloody Disgusting the franchise’s future wasn’t in television. “I don’t think TV is in its future but we’re talking about — Bruce, [producer] Rob [Tapert] and myself — one or two different ways to go for the next movie. We’d like to make another Evil Dead feature and in fact we’re working on some ideas right now.”

Raimi also said he once hoped Campbell would reconsider after the star said he retired his role as Ash.

“I would be thrilled if Bruce Campbell changed his mind about retirement, would come back for the original Evil Dead line,” Raimi told Bloody Disgusting. “But if not, I’m very happy to work with, if Fede would come back and make the sequel… but he’s such a big shot now. He’s so successful, an artist in demand, that I don’t think he’d want to do that.”

When addressing Campbell’s Evil Dead retirement at NYCC, Raimi said his star is “tired of me throwing blood on him. 40 years of Bruce and those sticky syrup shirts… He wants to work again, but he just doesn’t want to play that role right now.”

Raimi is similarly looking for something new for his next big screen effort. The last feature from the Spider-Man director was Disney’s Oz the Great and Powerful in 2013.

“I’d love to [direct again] — I love directing,” Raimi said. “It’s hard though — it’s hard when you don’t have the best script to direct. I’m waiting to find a script that really speaks to me, something that everyone would love, but is really personal to me, too. Then I would be back in the director’s chair.” Raimi then said he intends his next directorial effort to be the script he penned with brother Ivan Raimi, co-writer on Spider-Man 3 and Drag Me to Hell.

“What’s next Is I’m writing a movie with my brother Ivan, and I’m hoping to make that,” Raimi said.

The Raimi-produced The Grudge, directed by Nicolas Pesce and starring Betty Gilpin, John Cho, William Sadler and Lin Shaye, opens January 3.